Salvation
by Aiko-Chan SoT
Summary: [Book 2 in the To Say Goodbye series] It's been two months since the death of Tails. Now Sonic and Knuckles think they may have found away to prevent the murder from ever happening. Can they succeed, or will Metal rise again...?[COMPLETED!]
1. Discovery

_Okay, here it is! The long (okay, short. ) awaited sequel, part two, of the _To Say Goodbye _trilogy. Yay! -claps- Well, I've had to force myself to take a break in fear I may suddenly hit writers block...well, block, and now, I'm finally, freakin' back! Oh, yeah! I'M BACK, DAMMIT! xD Anyway, thanks to my readers, and here is part...TWO!_

**&&  
To Say Goodbye  
Part 2  
Salvation (**_**title pending**_**)**

_**Chapter 1:  
**__Discovery__**  
**_**&&**

_"...And all these lines fall short of what I had in mind  
A failed attempt to capilize a feeling  
So I just try  
And fail and try and try again  
And someday I swear I'm gonna get it  
Cause I'm convinced that giving in is the worst thing there is..."  
_** Mistakes We Knew We Were Making by Straylight Run  
**

_The path stretched out under the thick canopys of the trees, disappearing into the darkness that stretched around, just outside of the tree trunks. It seemed to go on forever, never ending and no light to guide anyone along. It was completely silent, not even the wind was blowing, and in this forest, that was odd. _

_All alone standing under the trees, a figure stood, unmoving, just looking straight ahead. His green eyes were narrowed in confusion, his blue fur ruffled and unkempt. His fists were drawn at his sides, clenched hard together. The fur along his quills drooping behind him was bristling, standing almost straight up. To his alert ears, the silence was deafening, and his head pounded from it. _

_He had no idea where he was, or how he had gotten there. In fact, every thought was lost, as if a deep fog had settled on him, and he couldn't find his way to them. He simply knew he was there, alone, in the dark, unfamilar forest. A chill swept up his spine, and he shivered, as if cooled suddenly by the unmoving air. Something wasn't right; his instincts were screaming it. His ears were pricked his heart hammering in his throat as he scanned the forest around him._

_Then a sudden noise from in front of him caught his attention, and he whipped around, his entire body braced to fight, his green eyes narrowed dangerously to warn the approaching figure. His eyes landed on the emerging creature, the figure encased in darkness. He squinted, but to no avail. The figure remained consumed by the darkness. His fist were instantly drawn tighter, his arms shaking from the effort. And the the darkness took shape slowly, forming first two feet, covered in red and white shoes. An orange body followed the feet, two arms limp at his side. Twin tails twitched behind him. His face was the last to be uncovered, his sapphire eyes dull and blank. But a smile was pasted on his lips, and he stared at the blue hedgehog, whose emerald eyes blinked in surprise and relief, and his fist unclenched._

_"Tails?" he said, relieved that it was simply his best friend, a name he could grasp from the fog covering his memories. But still, something wasn't right. Something flipped in his stomach, and his mind whispered something to him, but he couldn't tell what it said. All he knew was that this was his best friend, smiling at him. He smiled back, and was confused at the tightness that tugged there. "It's only you." The kitsune said nothing, his twin tails simply twitching, his smile never wavering, his eyes blinking every now and again. Emerald eyes stared at blue in confusion. "Tails, what's wrong?" His mind was twitching in his head, annoying him as if he had forgotten something important, but he shoved it away with a quick thrust of his mental hand. He would deal with that later. But still, the kitsune didn't move. Now green eyes narrowed again, impatience and annoyance making them flash. "C'mon, Tails, what is it?" And at those words, the kitsune simply turned and started walking. Surprise glinting in his eyes, he watched as the twin tailed fox simply walked away, reamerging with the darkness._

_"Tails?" he said again, and began following him, though his instincts screamed to avoid the darkness. His footsteps were slow and careful, his eyes widening as he got closer and closer. "Tails? Where are you?" He was finally to the point where it was impossible to see at all. He hesitated, but forced himself to keep going, just taking small steps. His heart quickened, his blood burning as his instincts protested, screaming for him to turn around and head the opposite direction. But he refused. Tails obviously wanted him to follow him. He continued walking, until the pitch blackness became a dim gray, then lighter, then lighter, until he was in a spot similar to the one before. He blinked in confusion, scratching the fur along his quills, before his eyes caught a gentle flash of orange. Tails._

_"Hey, Tails, wait up!" he yelled, but the kitsune kept walking. Suddenly annoyed, he sped up, running this time, his feet flying effortlessly under him as he caught up quickly with the kitsune. He slowed down, walking right behind him, and raised his voice again, crossing his arms as he walked. "Tails, what was that about?" And the kitsune stopped suddenly, forcing the blue hedgehog to do the same. Something eerie shot up his spine, and his blood suddenly ran cold as the forest began to dim into darkness around him. And slowly, ever so slowly, the young kitsune began to turn around. Instinctly, white gloved hands clenched to form tight fists, his emerald gaze narrowing, something not quiet right about his best friend. After what seemed like forever, his face was visibly, and blue fur shot straight up in alarm and horror, his emerald eyes widening, his feet taking several steps back._

_Blood covered the young foxes face, his sapphire eyes were dull and empty, the ghost of a smile plastered on his cold face. A long, clean slash cut from the shoulder to the hip, and blood oozed from the wound, dripping onto the ground, forming a puddle around him. And yet the mutilated body still stood, steadily. Emerald eyes stared in horror, sweat forming suddenly on his head. The memories were no longer lost within the fog. They were as clear as day, and his mind screamed with terror. Tails was dead. Tails had been murdered. And yet here he stood, bleeding and broken, staring at him with sightless, lifeless blue eyes._

_"You were supposed to save me..." he spoke, his voice accusing and lifeless. His mouth moved, even though his life poured from him, slipping farther away with every second. "I needed you...But you wasn't fast enough..." Emerald eyes didn't even dare to blink. He kept backing up slowly, one foot behind the other, images flashing before his eyes. His head was shaking ever so slightly, and all he wanted to do was put space between him and the ghost of his best friend. But another sound from behind him alerted him of another presence, and he whipped around, only to gasp for breath in horror, stopping in his tracks. Red fur barely stood out against the blood gushing from the severe stomach wound, which cut straight across. Lifeless violet eyes stared at him. _

_"K-Knuckles..." he whispered, suddenly finding his legs and backing away again, this time away from both. Tails still stared at him, Knuckles continuing as well, but now they were moving. And not like the zombies he had seen on T.V. They were moving like they had when they were alive, and they were coming toward him. He continued backing up, until his back smacked against an invisble wall, and he was forced to stop, and they got closer._

_Tails was the first to reach him, and the little kitsune stopped in front of him, his eyes lifeless and dull. But his voice was dripping with accusation. His twin tails hung limp behind him, dragging the ground._

_"Why didn't you save me?" he asked, and the blue hedgehog shuddered in horror, his eyes glowing with the fear that froze his blood. The young kitsune that had once been his best friend was now scaring the hell out of him. His foot instantly tried to backtrack again, but the invisible barrier stopped him from moving._

_"I-I t-tried..." he choked out, pressing himself against the invisible wall as best as he could. "I...I didn't..." Tails continued to stare at him, unmoving. "I t-tried..." Then the kitsune stepped closer, and terror clutched his body again, breathing becoming harder with ever second. And then there was Knuckles, who was suddenly next to Tails, lifeless violet eyes staring at him. _

_"You wasn't there to save me..." Knuckles voice broke through the silence, and the hedgehog was forced to close his eyes and shake his head at the noise._

_"I s-saved you..." he stuttered, shaking his head again. He reopened his eyes, emerald striking violet and blue with fear and guilt. "You didn't die..." The ghosts of Knuckles and Tails were getting closer._

_"Maybe not yet..." And the ghost of Knuckles suddenly disappeared, turning into dark smoke that rose away and disappeared. Tails remained, looking at the blue hedgehog with lifeless eyes. White gloved hands shook and emerald eyes blurred with tears as the kitsune smiled again, before suddenly changing before his eyes. Orange fur became shining blue, hair became quills, lifeless blue eyes became glowing red eyes, and the blue hedgehog watched as the being curled into a ball and flew toward him, slashing through his body._

_A piercing scream filled the air as everything faded to red..._

"Sonic!"

Rouge hands were clutching his arm, shaking his roughly, and he jolted awake, his emerald eyes tiny slits, fear shining brightly in their depths. His breath came in large gasps as he whipped his eyes across the room, looking for the ghost, his attacker, anything. But he found himself sitting at a desk, papers scattered before him, white gloved hands clutching the desk as if it was his life.

"Sonic?"

He whipped around at the voice, his entire body tense and ready to attack. And when his eyes fell on the red fur of Knuckles, he widened his eyes even farther, but saw the life in his violet eyes and dropped his hands to his side. It took several minutes for him to catch his breath, and in those several minutes he held his head in his hands, eyes closed. Knuckles was silent, and he was grateful that his friend knew when he wanted to be left alone.

It was two months after the murder of Tails and the mysterious disappearance of Metal. Ever since they had realized the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald may be able to help them change what happened, they had been working nonstop, with Sonic hardly ever agreeing to rest. And even after two months of searching and studying, the two hadn't come any closer to finding out how to go back in time using the emeralds.

Sonic finally lifted his head from his hands and looked at Knuckles, who stood nearby, eyeing him closely. Sonic sighed, shaking his head again and closing his eyes. His head was pounding, his eyes were bloodshot. In the months following Tails's death, Sonic had hardly taken to taking care of himself again, and it showed. Once vibrant cobalt blue fur was duller, ruffled and unkempt. His glove was still stained with Tails's blood, a constant reminder of why he had to do this. He looked skinny and unwell, though he could still run a mile in a few signal seconds.

But to put it plainly, this wasn't Sonic. It was more of a shell of the old Sonic.

"Sorry, Knux," he said, sighing as he opened his eyes back up. The echidna had concern glinting in his eyes. The echidna had slackened on his habits as well. His red fur was ruffled as well, but at least he had taken time to eat and sleep.

"You should be," Knuckles said, and Sonic narrowed his eyes, feeling surprise and anger rising in him. The echidna was staring at him with cool violet eyes, which only angered the hedgehog more.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the hedgehog demanded, his voice firm and loud.

"You should be sorry for not sleeping," he replied cooly, his own eyes narrowing. "Look, Sonic, you've not slept in days. If you don't have enough energy to carry out what we're going to have to do, then where will we be?" Emerald eyes narrowed and looked away from the red echidna, the words true to him. He said nothing, staring at the papers on the desk he had been working on before he fell asleep. His eyes softened slightly, and they closed as he sighed, slumping in his chair.

"Knuckles, I _can't _sleep," he said, shaking his head before he reopened his eyes. "And don't ask why, you just saw it." He saw the dead Tails in his minds eye, heard his voice blaming him for everything. The hedgehog shuddered slightly, looking down. "Every time I sleep, _that _happens." He looked at the bloodstain on the back of his glove, blinking.

For awhile, Knuckles said nothing, his gaze focused on the window as he looked out at the ocean, glittering in the evening sun. Sonic forced his eyes away from the stain, looking out at the water as well. Then, suddenly, the echidna looked at him. Sonic kept his gaze on the ocean as Knuckles spoke to him.

"Well, then," he said, tapping his foot against the ground. "Why don't you get yourself cleaned up then?" Emerald eyes twisted to red fur, and the echidna narrowed his violet eyes. "I'm serious, Sonic. I'm not gonna let you wither away like you are." Sonc crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes.

"And if I refuse...?" he started, letting the sentence trail off as a question. Knuckles took a threatening step closer.

"If you refuse, I beat you _into _the bathroom." His voice was serious, and Sonic's refusal withered. He sighed, standing up and stretching.

"Fine. I'll clean myself up. But after that, I'm getting back to work. We have to figure this out. Deal?" Sonic looked again at the echidna, who was leaning against the wall.

"Only if you eat too." Green eyes narrowed again, and Knuckles smiled slightly. "I'm serious, Sonic. I'll beat it down your throat too."

The hedgehog threw his arms up in defeat. "Fine. Clean up and eat. Is that it?" Knuckles nodded, his smile never wavering, and Sonic sighed, heading toward the bathroom.

**-x-x-x-**

It was a quick shower, but a good one none-the-less. His blue fur looked better as he looked himself over in the mirror, wiping the fog off with a gloveless hand. He took the towel in his hands and rubbed his quills quickly getting off the remaining water. Although it looked a little ruffled, Sonic had to admit it looked better than before. He threw the towel in a random place in the floor, and reached for his gloves lying on the sink. They were covered in dirt and blood stained one side of both. Cringing gently, the put the fabric under the sink and ran water over it, rubbing away the dirt and blood.

Once finished, they looked much better, white and cleaner, but a bloodstain remained on one side of the left one and Sonic didn't attempt to wash it away. Sighing and sliping them on, the hedgehog slipped on his shoes and walked out, feeling alot better physically, but only a little mentally.

When he walked into the living room, he saw Knuckles immediatly, sitting on the couch, his eyes closed. Sonic couldn't help but snort in amusement when a soft snore issued from Knuckles. Shaking his head and quietly walking past, Sonic headed toward the kitchen, remembering his promise and determined to go through with it so as to not get food beat into him.

When he entered the kitchen, he headed toward the fridge, a sigh issuing slightly from his lips. He opened the fridge, looking inside for anything to eat. Nothing. Now his stomach was growling. It was then he realized how hungry he was. With another sigh, he closed the door and headed toward the counter, opening the door and looking inside. The only thing there was a can of spagetti. He reached for the can, grasping it with his hand and pulling it out. With his other hand, he reached to close the door, and right then the can slipped from his fingers, crashing to the floor and rolling toward the counter until it smacked against it.

Cursing under his breath, Sonic closed the cabnet completely and bent down to pick up the can. But right then something caught his eye, something underneath the counter. Squinting slightly, he reached for it, and when he grabbed it, he realized it was a piece of paper, neatly folded. Quickly he removed the paper from underneath the counter, and looked it over. The paper was covered in dust. There were words written on the front, and Sonic had to blow the dust away to read them. Neatly written on the front was "Class. 043 Inter. CE". Curiousity getting the better of him, the blue hedgehog unfolded the paper, and before he even read the words, he was on his feet, his hunger instantly forgotten, and rushing into the living room.

"Knuckles, _look _at this!"

**&&  
End of Chapter  
&&**

_Meh. xD Had fun with this one. I like having Sonic and Knuckles interact with each other. I hearts it._

_Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, and hope you enjoy the rest of the story, coming up!_

**Aiko-Chan SoT**


	2. Making and Breaking Promises

_Okay heres chapter two! xD I hope you like this chapter!_

_And I had the strangest dream last night. o.o If you've ever read, _Mice and Men _by John Steinback, you'll probably have different opinions. I, myself, liked it, and cried at the end. Seriously...o.o Well, last night, I had the strangest dream of the book, but instead of it being _George and Lennie_, it was _Sonic and Tails_. Sonic was the main character, George, and Tails was Lennie. The only thing different was Tails wasn't...er...metally ill like Lennie in the book. In my dream, Tails simply caused trouble by accident. In the end...well, if you've read that book, you'd know. o.o I'm thinking about picking up that story and writing it after this one._

**crimson-obsidian-rose - **_When I first saw the word Rouge, I though you were crazy. o.o But then I saw what you meant when I overlooked the chapter again. -cough- Sorry. It was a typo. I meant to write 'rough', not 'rouge'. ;; Whoops...And yes, poor Sonic. I luffs him, but this angst just makes the story better. _

**JinxJinki - **_Thanks so much! It's great to know I have an effect...And I'm glad to know that I come off as a good writer. After all, I hope to one day become an author...Maybe I'll become like J. K. Rowling one day! xD Thanks again!_

**shadesoflightanddark - **_Mwaha! I'm good at cliffies. 3 And thanks again. I hope I get to see you as another usually reviewer!_

**frostbye64 - **_Thanks! _

**azngirlchibi - **_I love having those two characters interact. They are so totally awesome, and they really clash, if you know what I mean! And for the Rouge thing...read __**crimson-obsidian-rose**__'s review response. o.o;; Typo... -smacks self-_

**Ice the Pyro - **_Thanks for the offer, and I would really take you up on that if I didn't already have the story planned out, step by step. O.o Sorry. I already know whats going to happen, and although it can change quiet suddenly, I think I'll stick with what I got. Thanks for the offer though, and your review! _

_Well, onto the chapter! And thanks for the people who added me to their favorites/alerts and this story too. I would name you off, but my hotmail's screwing up now...O.o_

**--Salvation--**

**Chapter 2:**

**Making and Breaking Promises**

**--Salvation--**

_"...I might crumble, I might take a fall again  
(Still missing you)  
I might crumble, I might take a fall again  
(Still missing you)  
I might crumble, I might take a fall again  
But you're my everlasting friend_

_Will you be coming home?  
(Everlasting friend)  
My everlasting friend, will you be coming home?  
(Everlasting friend)..."_

**- Everlasting Friend by Blue October**

Sonic waited as patiently as he could for Knuckles's reaction. The red echidna was clutching the paper tightly in his fists, and Sonic's hands themselves were clutched tightly together, his teeth gritting in his mouth. He had never been the patient type, and now, when it could be the solution to bringing Tails back, he didn't think it was the time to begin. He could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall in the kitchen, and any little creak from the house made him nearly jump in alarm. His body was rigid, tense, and his mind was demanding to know answers.

"Well..?" Sonic said, breaking the undying slience finally. Knuckles narrowed his eyes, and squinted at the page, scratching his head as he examined it. Sonic felt like his insides were going to explode from the waiting, but finally Knuckles looked up at him, shaking his head. Sonic's ears twitch; that wasn't a reaction he wanted to see.

"I don't understand it," the red echidna admitted, studying the paper again. "It's just a diagram. I...it...aghh." Knuckles dropped his arms in exasperation, the paper still clutched in his hands. His eyes narrowed in anger. "Damn it, Tails. Why didn't you leave more?" Sighing in aggravation, Knuckles thrust the paper at Sonic, who jerked it from the angry echidna's hand, glaring at him as he did so. No time to get carried away in emotions, he felt, but who was he to say that? Nothing but a hypocrite...

He looked at the paper, his emerald eyes narrowing in thought. Three arrows pointed to the middle of the page where a drawing of the Master Emerald was. Seven other emeralds, the ones he knew as the Chaos Emeralds, surrounded it like a halo. Only a couple words were written on the page, words written by Tails's hand, but it only pointed out the obvious to Sonic; showing which the Master Emerald was, the Chaos Emeralds, everything he knew. But a few words near the bottom of the page caught his eye, written small, and hard to see against the paper.

"_Metal lies the last piece of the puzzle._"

Sonic felt his blood run cold. He lifted his eyes from the diagram, looking up at Knuckles, who was studying the back of the paper, but looked up when Sonic moved. The hedgehog motioned for him to come over, and the echida obliged, standing and walking behind Sonic, looking at the paper over his shoulder. Sonic pointed with a gloved finger to the seven words scribbled on the page. After a moment, Sonic heard Knuckles's breathing stop a moment before resuming, a little forced. Sonic looked up at him, the same emotion swirling in his eyes.

"'The last piece of the puzzle'?" Knuckles said aloud, scratching his head in confusion. "_Metal_? What the hell does that mean? Does that mean we _need _Metal in order for this to work?" Sonic said nothing, simply staring at the words, letting his mind wander into different thoughts. His emotions, at this point, were under control, but if Sonic even had to _think _of Metal again, he may snap. Could his metal doppelganger _really _be the last piece of the puzzle? How could Tails murderer, the reason he was dead in the first place, help bring him back. To Sonic, none of it made sense. With a sigh, he slumped in his chair, massaging his throbbing head with his hands.

"So what do we do?" Knuckles asked above him, breaking the silence around them. Sonic opened his eyes, blinking a few times, thinking of something, anything. To him, it seemed completely impossible for the villain to actually help them. Truthfully, he refused to believe it. There was no way Metal could be Tails's saviour. He looked up at Knuckles, speechless. But if it was the case, they would need the metal doppelganger if they wanted to save Tails.

"But I killed him," Sonic said, really talking to himself, but letting Knuckles hear all the same. The echidna looked at the wall, his emotions fighting in his eyes. Sonic shook his head, trying to clear the fog that had settled there. He had killed the robot; he remembered clearly slicing through him as if he were simply air. He remembered watching his red eyes dim away and die. But after awaking to find he had disappeared, was gone. Even though he tried to deny it, he knew Metal was still alive, and possibly after them.

"Sonic, we both know he's not dead," Knuckles said bluntly. Sonic said nothing, allowing the echidna to continue. "And if he really _is _what we need, what can we do but use him?" Sonic found the logic in that idea, but couldn't help thinking it was useless. After all, the clone wouldn't want to help them. He would want to destroy them, simply kill them, without even flinching a bit at their request.

"We can't, Knuckles," Sonic said, forcing the words through his mouth as he stood suddenly, clenching his fists. "Metal won't want to help us. After all, he kill Tails in the first place. Why in the world would he change his ways now?" Sonic felt rage burning inside him, and stopped, taking deep breaths to calm himself. No reason to get worked up now.

"What else can we do?" Knuckles said suddenly, and Sonic whipped around, facing him suddenly, but even with the sudden movement, Knuckles didn't even flinch. The powerful echidna simply stood with his arms crossed, eyes narrowed at Sonic. "Nothing, right. Sonic, face the facts. We'll just beat some persuasion into him, and he'll gladly come along." Sonic clenched his fists, taking a threatening step forward.

"Look, Knuckles," Sonic said under his breath, trying and failing to keep his anger from boiling over. "He _won't_. That's just it. He wants me dead, so he'll go through you - he'll go out of his _way_ to go through you - to kill me. I'm not risking that again. I _refuse _to." At this point, Sonic was in Knuckles face, and the echidna was staring threateningly back at him, and in his flickering violet eyes, Sonic saw the flashes of surprise in those depths. "I won't, _won't_, go through that again, you understand me?" By now, tears of anger and rage were blurring his vision. "_Never_."

"_Maybe not yet..._" Sonic heard the dead voice of Knuckles from his dream in his head, and he pushed it away. What if the dream was an omen? What if Sonic was getting closer and closer to losing Knuckles too? No...he refused it. He wouldn't lose anything else. Realizing the wetness he felt dripping down his face, he quickly turned away from Knuckles, closing his eyes and trying again to take control of his emotions. Still, even after the tears were dry, Sonic didn't turn back around, and Knuckles still hadn't spoken. In those minutes of silence, Sonic thought hard, decided that he wanted Tails back more than anything, but wasn't going to risk Knuckles's life to get it. After a long while of silence, Sonic turned back around, facing his rival, his gaze set.

"But I'll go," he announced to the echidna who was still standing with his arms crossed. His eyes glimmered in surprise. "Yeah, I'll go alone, that way he won't hurt you, and I can still save Tails." He nodded to himself, avoiding the echidna's eyes, but when Sonic turned away to head into the other room, Knuckles finally spoke up, his rage and refusal echoing in his booming voice.

"Are you _crazy_?" the echidna said, throwing his arms to his side and rounding up on Sonic. He stopped in front of the blue hedgehog, his violet eyes alight with fury. Sonic was shocked at the sudden change from Knuckles, and stumbled backwards, nearly falling down. "It's...It's _suicide_! If you really think I'll stand by and let you do this, you're wrong." His fists clenched together, and he held them up, grabbing Sonic by the fur on his chest. The hedgehog struggled, grunting and protesting, his emerald eyes angry. But Knuckles refused to release him, and he looked at him in the eye. "Anywhere you go, I'll follow. And don't forget that. I won't lose my best friend." At those words, Sonic stopped struggling, falling almost limp in the echidna's hands. With those words said, Knuckles dropped Sonic, sending the hedgehog falling to the ground so unexpectedly, he failed to land on his legs and instead landed on his back. Shocked and on the ground, Sonic watched as the enraged and persistant echidna exited the room.

**-x-x-x-**

That night was the longest night for Sonic the Hedgehog. After the previous nights argument with Knuckles, the hedgehog hardly dared to move, afraid of sending the echidna off again. Sonic turned over on the couch, cringing slightly when the couh creaked under him. Knuckles was in the opposite room, and Sonic could swear the echidna was watching him. His words the previous evening had shocked him. Knuckles had went as far as to say Sonic was his 'best friend'. Though Sonic knew he had always accepted Knuckles as his best friend, he never knew the echidna thought of him as one.

So, instead of sneaking out like he had planned to do, Sonic stayed there that night, simply staring at the wall. Though he knew the echidna's words were true - that he would follow him anywhere - he wished the red-furred echidna would simply let him go on his own. He didn't need the added stress, and with every day he waited, it felt like Tails slipped farther and farther away, and the hole in his heart got bigger and bigger.

Trying to push the thought of Tails, Knuckles, and Metal out of his head, Sonic stared at the nearest photo on the wall, his favorite one. A lush green carpet of grass surrounded them, and three figures sat in it, cross-legged, all smiling. A 16 year old Knuckles was on the left end, his usually frowning face spreading with a smile. A 15 year old Sonic was next, his blue fur shining in the sun, one eye winking at the camera as he laughed at some long forgotten joke. And there, on the right end, was 9 year old Tails, his face bright and wide with laughter, his sapphire eyes shining. His two tails were wrapped under him. All three friends had there arms around each others shoulders, and Sonic remembered having to force Knuckles to join in by grabbing his arm and slinging it over his shoulder. Sonic had forgotten who had taken the picture of them, but he thought it was a passing stranger. Sonic felt his mouth twist into a smile, his muscles straining from the effort since the hedgehog hadn't smiled in so long.

At that moment, a light thud from the room where Knuckles slept startled Sonic, and he closed his eyes steadying his breath and slowing it down, a perfect image of a sleeping person. Footsteps met his relaxed ears, and he had to force to keep them from pricking at the noise. His eyeslids were closed, his head resting against the arm of the couch. He heard Knuckles stop next to him, and could feel his violet eyes looking at him, before his footsteps continued forward, heading toward the opposite side of the room. Cautiously, Sonic opened one eye, being sure to keep his breathing steady, watching Knuckles as he approached the picture he had been looking at on the wall.

Knuckles lifted on hand, touching the frame of the picture gently, a soft sigh escaping his lips as he let it drop, his eyes gazing at it as if the violet orbs themselves could take them back to when everything was easy, where they were always together. Knuckles let his eyes drop away from the photo, and from where Sonic layed, he could see the glistening of tears in the echidna's eyes. Sonic felt his own fill, and when Knuckles turned around to make his way back into the room, Sonic closed his eyes, letting a little snoring sound escape his mouth once. He heard Knuckles's footsteps thud into the other side of the house, and Sonic opened his eyes, the emerald orbs shining with tears. Once making sure that Knuckles was in the room, Sonic rose and stood, walking on silent feet to the photo. Eyes streaming with tears, Sonic touched the photograph gently with his finger, looking over each face in turn. And when he got to Tails, he stopped, gritting his teeth together to keep a cry of anguish from echoing through the house. He ran a shaking finger on his best friends face.

"I'm sorry, Tails," he whispered, a choked sob in his throat. "I'll get you back, little buddy. I promise." The smiling face of Tails never wavered, and Sonic closed his eyes, clenching his fists together and sliding slowly to his knees as silent sobs wracked his body.

How he wished the little kitsune was at his side. He had never wanted anything more than that in his entire life...And he would gladly give that up to laugh one last time with his three best friends...

**--End of Chapter--**

_I found the entire chapter full of sadness and different kinds of emotion, especially the ending, which I loved to write and was tearing up as I did it. I was listening to _Wake me up When September Ends _by Green Day when I wrote that part, and I could literally see the scene play before my eyes. It's was an awesome feeling. Try playing a song you think pertains to your story, and it helps your writing come along a lot better. Just look at this. I always listen to music, sad music, when I write this story. Like in the last book, when Sonic was changing into Dark Super Sonic, I was listening to _Animal I have Become _by Three Days Grace and sometimes to _Breaking the Habit _by Linkin Park. It's really awesome to do that. :3 And it helps more than you know._

_Anyway, about the story...I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I loved writing it. 3 I love this story, and I am glad that I can stick to it. Just hope my Sonic obession stays that long. o.o And it should too._

_Well, review guys! Any flaws? Ideas? Feel free to voice!_

**Aiko-Chan SoT**


	3. Broken Puzzle

_I'm back with the next chapter! My Sonic obession still grows strong, but school is keeping me down. ;-; Sorry about that. But I am not giving up on this. _

_Reviews!_

**Samantha27 - **_Yes, but I've never played that game...o.o Besides, not everything is 100 from the games or the anime. This is a story I decided to write using what I know. Anyway, yeah...o.o Never played Sonic 2006. Any good, I wonder?_

**crimson-obsidian-rose - **_Yeah, Sonic is like, being tortured. O.o -hides from Sonic-_

**Delta Operator - **_Thanks:)_

**azngirlchibi - **_I sometimes get sidetracked, but not alot. It helps me write alot faster and better. And thanks. I liked the way I wrote it. -proud- xD_

**shadesoflightanddark - **_Omg, thanks! I didn't know it was _that _emotional! I better reread it. I did tear up as a wrote it. Thanks so much! I hope I can make more people cry. -evil laugh-_

**Faithrose - **_Thanks! I really should. I've been thinking on it...-ponders-_

**Ice the Pyro - **_Move Along? I'll read the lyrics and see. But thanks. And for the character question, I'm not sure. I'm not good with other characters, and I can't make OC characters. I'll see if I can fit them in. It's possible, but who knows?_

_And thanks for the peoples who favorited me and/or my story:) Means alot to me. _

_Now, on to the story! -flies away-_

**--Salvation--**

**Chapter 3:  
Broken Puzzle**

**--Salvation--**

_"...I've given up  
I'm sick of feeling  
Is there nothing you can say?_

_Take this all away  
I'm suffocating!  
Tell me what the heck is  
Wrong with me..."  
_**- Given Up by Linkin Park**

Troubling dreams flitered through Sonic's mind that night, dream that were full of darkness and the horrible smell of blood. But no matter what he did, he couldn't wake up from his dreams. Though the dreams weren't terrorfying or terrible like the ones he usually had, they weren't pleasant, especially since he couldn't force himself awake.

It was bright light that spread into his dreams that forced him awake. His green eyes were blurred when they slid open, burning from the sunlight that was spreading into the room from the window. Groaning, Sonic shifted his body around, closing his eyes again, and cringed when something hard poked him into his side. Muttering curses under his breath, Sonic opened his eyes again, blinking as he regained his vision.

And the first thing he saw was the leg of the table.

Confusion flickered in Sonic gaze, his nearly sleeping mind only grasping the thought that the table leg was usually _on the floor_, not on the couch. But a moment later he realized what happened, realized that the table leg was in it's right place. It was him that was in the wrong one.

But still, he was confused. How the hell did he end up on the floor when he was clearly on the couch the night before? His mind was just grasping the fact he was on the floor, so he decided to work that little bit out when he was a little more awake. He groaned under his breath, forcing himself to sitting position, wincing when his stiff joints protested by sending pain messages to his head. He rubbed the back of his neck, still blinking back sleep.

He sighed, dropping his arm to his side and forcing himself to stand. He swayed a moment, but quickly found his balance, and stretched, pulling his arms above his head. This was normal routine, something he did as he recalled what happened every morning, his emerald eyes flashing with pain over and over. It was something repeated every day, and every day he felt if he had to do it again, he wouldn't survive.

He looked instinctly over at the wall, his emerald gaze narrowing gently when his eyes met a certain photograph, the glass shining in the sunlight. Then he remembered. He remembered falling to his knees as he collasped with grief, and he quickly looked away, not able to look at the smiling faces of him and his friends. He fought the tears, walking away from his sleeping place, from the picture, from the memories.

He walked to the couch, looking down at the notes both him and Knuckles had looked over for so many days. His eyes scanned over the piles of papers, his heart falling in his chest. It was hopeless...So much to look at...But nothing had given them a lead, nothing had gotten them closer to finding out how to bring Tails back. Nothing...It was a fruitless battle, a battle they were losing, ever so slowly, but losing all the same.

He then realized how impossible everything seemed.

Tears sprang into his eyes at these thoughts. What else could they do? Tails was dead, there was no turning back what happened anymore. Now the thought of going back in time seemed ridiculously childish, and he closed his eyes as pain stabbed at his heart, which seemed to hardly breath again. He gritted his teeth as his heart skipped two beats before starting back it's slow rhythm again. And Knuckles...Knuckles was always in constant danger, and Sonic feared constantly that he would be forced to watch him die again, to watch the light fade from his eyes like he did Tails...

All these realization hitting him at once was too much...

He swallowed a sob, gritting his teeth harder and clawing at his chest, the pain suddenly too much for him to take. He wanted to suddenly rip out his heart, take it out and make the pain go away. He nearly collasped, but kept himself on his feet with effort, shaking slightly. How long could he keep this up? Keep pretending there was a way to bring him back. Anguish sprung again and he nearly screamed in pain and frustration.

His eyes sprung open, the emerald color dull with the pain and panic at the thoughts of nothing changing. His eyes flashed toward the wall, toward the picture that hung on the wall. Tails...smiling at him, not a troubled look on the young foxes face...Knuckles, violet eyes vibrant with laughter, even if his face wasn't. That was all Sonic saw, he didn't see himself winking at the camera, his own smile bright and wide.

That was it. His two best friends, who had always been better without him.

_Tails...I'm so sorry..._

Repeating words, words that no longer made sense, just a bunch of sounds...used too much.

He suddenly felt sick, sicker than ever, and he rushed out the door, his head spinning insanely. He burst out into the sunshine, his head pounding hard against his skull, and the little food he had eaten the day before spilled onto the ground, and with a few more steps, he collasped to his knees, shaking gently, weakened suddenly by the onslaught of nausea.

"I can't...take this..." he whispered under his breath as Tails reflection flashed over and over in his head. "I can't...pretend...anymore..." His emerald eyes that had been tightly closed opened again, clear tears staining the dirt beneath him, and he gritted his teeth hard, knives stabbing into his chest, his hands digging into the dirt as he struggled against the pain. He knew it...he couldn't take it anymore. The lies, the mistakes, the promises...everything was spinning out of control.

The puzzle that had kept everything together was broken... And the pieces no longer fit together...

Sonic forced himself to his feet, his entire body shaking with the effort of moving. His heart felt unreal now, and he wondered briefly if the muscle was even working any longer. He raised his hand to his chest, and felt the faint beat against his arm. even though knives had torn through his flesh, the organ still remained, still beated, still kept him alive with it's work. He was suddenly angry at his heart. Why didn't it just stop? Why did it continue to keep him alive after so much? He squeezed the fur along his chest, wanting the pulsing beat to stop.

His eyes flew to the edge of the mountain, his emerald gaze dull with a lifeless stare. Sonic's mind flew through thoughts too fast, and he could only watch them as they flashed by, only hope to pick out something he could recongize, something he could actually relate to. He walked forward without realizing it, his body suddenly still, tense, and braced. He stepped again, his eyes closely on the edge of the mountain. Only when he reached the edge did everything become clear and he had full control of his body.

Rocks clattered against the side of the mountain, and Sonic looked down, only to see the waves of the ocean beat against the rock, the noise loud and strangely inviting to him, even though he was terrified of water. He watched the manuver of the pounding waves, his emerald eyes mezmerized by the flow of the water, something so beautiful, so intrancing, but extremely deadly and powerful.

And then he realized what he could do, what the water could do for him...

One simply step...one small move of his feet...and the pain would all be over.

He shifted his feet gently, admiring how the rocks fell away and splashed into the water below, causing only a small change in the waves, and only for a single moment. Nothing could change the shape of the waves, nothing could change what time had done to the rock...Time...

A strange thing...

Time, he knew, couldn't be erased, couldn't be changed. And even when it felt time could not go on, could not continue, it did...

Even when he didn't want it to.

Pain struck again, causing him to recoil as if struck. He felt like he was bleeding, felt like he was dying a slow and painful death. And it felt that way every day. Every single day, it felt the same way. Like a torturing death that would never let him go. He set his jaw, narrowed his eyes, and looked straight down.

This was it. He made up his mind. No more pain, no more suffering, no more wishing things were different...

No more lies...no more mistakes...no more time...

The pieces were broken now...nothing could fix the puzzle of his life.

_I'm coming, little buddy. I'm coming..._

Sonic let his emerald eyes closed, and with one single lift of his foot, he was suddenly falling through the air. He suddenly felt like an angel that had lost his wings...no...an angel whose wings had been _stripped _away from him, because he did not deserve them. A fallen...dark angel that deserved death, welcomed it even.

Sonic finally opened his eyes, and when he did, all he saw was the water slamming into him.

He knew he couldn't swim, and as his body dropped farther and farther into the water, he was suddenly numb. No panic, no pain, nothing. He felt empty, unfeeling, a simple being that would soon cease to exsist. He saw nothing but water, nothing but the thing he had always feared. He was being swept away by it.

His lung burned for oxygen, but he denied his lungs that need. Instead, he allowed them the price of water, which raced into his lungs as soon as he took a breath. No pain, nothing but that feeling of suddenly being filled.

_Sonic..._

Then, Tails was there, looking at him, smiling with his sapphire eyes bright. Sonic couldn't help but smile back at his best friend, and reach out a heavy arm toward him, reaching, reaching...

_Tails...I'm coming buddy..._

_Sonic..._

Now, he saw the red fur of Knuckles, and he smiled wider, closing his eyes as he reached for his two best friends, the two things that meant everything to him. Knuckles and Tails...Now all three were together again, and not even death could seperate them this time. This was all he needed, all he asked for, and he finally got it.

His body grew cold, but he still didn't move. Darkness consumed his thoughts, those only consisting of his two best friends, his family. The blackness of unconsciousness flowed over them, and he grew still as his mind slowly, slowly let go.

_Wait for me, guys..._ he thought finally, and darkness fully gripped him in its hands.

**--End of Chapter--**

_Really emotional chapter. Felt I should use it to show what happens when things collide together, when he suddenly realizes it's useless to try, useless to keep going. The songs I listened to was _Saving Me _by Nickelback and _Numb_ by Linkin Park. This was one of the best chapters, I think. Most emotional one. Hope you enjoyed! Review guys!_

**Aiko-Chan SoT**


	4. Selfishness

_KK here we go again! Sorry it's so late. I was sick all weekend, and I hardly have time to update on the weekdays because of school junk. You know how that is. -sigh- It's not been in 4 weeks and I already hate it again...But I'll have another chapter up before I go in, not to mention my new oneshot. XD_

**shadesoflightanddark - **_I try. xD And those songs, I love them. Thanks for mentioning them! They are awesome! 3_

**crimson-obsidian-rose -**_ Thanks. And yes, who could blame him? -pats Sonic- After all, it's my fault. D Mwahaha! _

**Ice the Pyro **_- Yeah, I know that. But this is _my _story, and I have Sonic X, so if thats were it originated from, yuck! Sorry, and I hope I don't offend anyone, but I _hate_ that anime. It butchered Sonic. But I might place Shadow in there, if I can squeeze him in. Maybe he'll be a villian person in here. Mwahaha! xD_

**azngirlchibi - **_Poor Sonic...-pats again- Well, you'll see this chapter. -ish evil- 3_

**Samantha27 - **_Yes, actually, he is. And yes, it is selfish. It all leads up to this. Mwaha. And I don't know. I'm debating... I may bring Shadow in...And I'll do that. Read the reviews, I mean. xD_

**Snax - **_lol THANKS! xD And the other stuff...well, they are good theories, but we'll see what happens. ;)_

**--Salvation--**

**Chapter 4:**

**Selfishness**

**--Salvation--**

_"__Somebody save me  
Let your warm hands break right through  
Somebody save me  
I don't care how you do it  
Just stay with me  
I've made this whole world shine for you  
Just stay, stay  
C'mon  
I'm still waiting for you." _

**Somebody Save Me by Remy Zero**

Violet eyes stared up at the ceiling, drooping sleeply.

Knuckles the Echidna was tired, no doubt, but his thoughts and dreams kept him from closing his eyes. Thoughts of him, Sonic, and Tails only days eariler kept him awake, and nightmares of Tails ghost following him kept him from hardly blinking. He felt trapped within his own mind, unable to escape the grief of the death of his friend.

Sighing in frustration, Knuckles lifted a hand to rub his tired eyes, holding them there a moment as he thought. So much had went wrong, so much could've been prevented, if they all hadn't been so cocky of winning all the time. He squeezed his eyes together tightly, shaking his head. And now, as they solved the new equation of what to do, he felt even more lost than before.

He put his arm back down at his side, watching the ceiling again. It seemed so strange, not hearing the movement of Tails tinkering in the workshop just near door, not hearing the cursing of Sonic as he stubbed his toe walking through the hallway sleeply. Knuckles still remembered always hearing the hedgehog mutter a sort of loud "damn it" in the mornings. He smirked gently as the memories come back to settle in his mind, and he could almost hear the sound of the thudding of Sonic's foot against the wall...

Wait...He _did _hear it...

Knuckles leaned up into sitting position, narrowing his eyes at the doorway as if waiting for Sonic to walk in, muttering out 'damn walls being in the way'. But no. Nothing. He had heard the thud, though. He was sure of it.

He got to his feet, not bothering to stretch his muscles out, and walked toward the door silently, his hands clenched into fists instinctly, something he had never been able to drop as a habit. He peered beyond the doorway, but saw no sign of Sonic. He raised his eyes in surprise, and walked into the living room, scratching his head in confusion. Sonic had been there this morning, and he would've heard him go to the bathroom...

And then he saw it.

The open door leading out back...

Knuckles felt alarm rush through him. The blue hedgehog already went out on his own. Knuckles muttered a few curse words, aiming them at the stubborn and hardheaded hedgehog, and stepped out the door...only to freeze in absolute horror at what he saw.

Sonic, staring down at the water for a single moment, his gaze set...And then he suddenly wasn't there.

Faster than even the speedy hedgehog, realization of what happened hit Knuckles like a brick wall, and he reacted instantly, his violet eyes wide with terror. He flew quickly to the edge of the mountainside, scanning the churning waters below, looking for the familar blue pelt of his best friend against the dull gray color of the water. But Sonic was nowhere to be seen.

"_Sonic_!" he screamed, and leaped off the mountain, falling into the water just as quickly as he had leaped off. It was cold, chilling, and he felt himself fall numb immediatly. His violet eyes, filled with terror and fear, flashed through the water, until he saw a flash of blue, shining in the sunlight, and saw the body of his best friend.

Terror again stabbed at him, this time harder, and he swam as fast as he could through the water, the only thing keeping the coldness from him the thought of saving his friends life. Sonic was floating in the water, one arm outstretched, a strange smile flitered on his face, his eyes closed.

_Sonic! _Knuckles thought in pure panic as he reached for his friends hand. His white gloved hand wrapped around the tan arm of his best friend, gripping it tightly, and jerking it toward him roughly. Quickly, Knuckles turned upward, his lungs begging for air, and swam up, clutching Sonic's arm tightly, feeling the force of gravity in the water protest by trying to suck him back under. But Knuckles was even stronger, and before long, Knuckles broke the surface of the water, gasping for air and quickly jerking Sonic to the surface, pulling until the cobalt face broke the surface as well. Sonic's face was no longer smiling, his mouth opened just slightly, eyes still closed. Knuckles, determined to keep another loss from happening, fought against the waves, fighting to get to the surface.

He slammed against the sand hard, his breath knocked out of him, but continued to struggle, pulling Sonic with him. He struggled for air as well as he crawled up the slope, and after a few moments, fresh air filled his lungs, and he gasped for breath, dropping Sonic at his side and quickly turning to him.

"Sonic!" he cried out, leaning over the body. Sonic's arm drapped over his chest, the other laying limply on the sand. Knuckles suddenly became angry with panic, and began pressing on the blue hedgehogs chest hard, water dripping off his dropping quils. His face was twisted in determination as he pumped Sonic's chest hard, and when nothing happened even harder. With every passing second, Knuckles felt hope slide away like the sand under him, but he kept trying, even though tears made it harder to see.

"Sonic...C'mon...Breath..." he begged, pressing harder and with more force, going faster. "Please...Don't die..."

He gritted his teeth, anger forcing him to continue. He pressed hard one final time, then his efforts began dropping with every push, until he finally stopped, arms slumping at his side. Tears were streaming down his face by now, his teeth gritted in anger and horrified grief.

"Damn it, Sonic...Don't do this to me..."

Not ready to give up yet, Knuckles tried again, and filled Sonic on his back, and quickly began pounding on it, hard. Almost immediatly, there was a response from Sonic. He coughed, and water sprayed from his mouth. Feeling hope reignite, Knuckles pounded again, and again, more water poured from Sonic's mouth. Knuckles continued until he was sure it was all out, and quickly flipped the hedgehog over again, and was relieved to see the rise and fall of his chest.

And then, Knuckles collasped on the sand, breathing heavily.

Sonic...had tried to commit _suicide_. The thought sent shudders of pain and horror down Knuckles spine. _Suicide_, of all things...His head turned toward the limp hedgehog, whose only movement was the steady rise and fall of his chest. Gritting his teeth, Knuckles looked down at the sand, realizing with sinking dread how close he had come to being the only one left...to losing the last of his family...

He closed his eyes when he felt warm tears gently glide down his face, and he tried to make them stop, gritting his teeth and clutching sand tightly into his hands. He had never felt such a mixture of emotions at once, and all of them were painful emotions. He had almost lost everything he had in a matter of seconds...Then what would he have done?

Finally getting in control of the tears, Knuckles opened his eyes, looking at the sand for several moments before looking at Sonic. He was still unconscious, still breathing, still alive. Knuckles forced himself to his feet, his violet eyes shining with the tears he had left unshed, and walked over to the blue hedgehog. Now his horror and shock switched to anger and betrayel. Right now, he wanted to rip the hedgehogs throat out, make him pay for what he had put him through. But he controlled his anger, knowing that Sonic still wasn't out of the danger zone yet. Sighing with exhaustion, Knuckles chucked the hedgehog up and lifted him over his shoulder, resisting the urge to throw him back up to the house.

As he walked away, he heard the churning of the waves, and the sound make his entire body shiver...

**-x-x-x-**

_Lights danced in front of him, and every few moments they would send sparks of lightning through the air around him, lightning that was always a different color. It was a beautiful display, much better than the darkness that had surrounded him before._

_But in these beautiful fireworks, he felt something was missing. Something wasn't right, and it made him uncomfortable. A familar feeling rushed up to him, one of confusion, the feeling he was forgetting something of great importance. He hated that feeling, and quickly pushed it away, watching the beautiful fireworks instead, and letting him mind focus on them, and only them._

_Them, from the darkness behind him, something called, and a sudden memory leaped in front of his eyes, a memory, though he knew it was there, he couldn't see. It was like watching a blank screen while you knew the movie was playing. Annoyance struck him, and he narrowed his eyes at the feeling, his ear twitching as he tried desperatly to see that memory, to turn on the light that would show the images. And then, the call came again from behind him, and as the light seemed to switch on on the screen, he turned around to meet darkness. _

_In his mind, he saw water. Tons and tons of water surrounding him, and strangely, he felt no fear. Just wonder. Why was this stored in his memories? He had a vague memory of being fearful of water, so why, in this certain memory, was he surrounded by it? _

_Dumbfounded, he squinted into the darkness, desperate to find who called, find the owner of the voice who shouted behind him. Then, from the darkness, a familar orange pelt emerged, a grin on his childlike face. Memories collided and were created again, and he remembered his best friend. His best friend who had died long ago. _

_Strangely, there was no pain when he saw Tails's smiling face. There was simply happiness. He smiled as Tails stopped a few feet in front of him, still smiling. The kitsune watched him with the unwavering smile, and gave a small, sad laugh. The laughed caused confusion in his head, and though he still felt happy to see his best friend, he wondered why the laugh was sad instead of happy, happy to finally see each other again._

"Oh, Sonic,"_ Tails said, shaking his head. The kitsunes voice seemed to be reaching to him from a distance, echoing around him, and slowly, ever so slowly, he was getting farther and farther away, even though his feet remained unmoving. The foxes blue eyes were dim with sadness, but shining with longing. _"You've taught me so much..." _As Tails disappeared into the darkness, he opened his mouth to protest, to beg for him to stay, but no sound came out. His arm extended in front of him, as if to grab him from that distance, even though he knew he couldn't. _"Now it's time for you to teach yourself...how to say goodbye..."

Don't go_, he wanted to shout, to scream to Tails. _Don't leave me...

_But even as he screamed it in his mind, Tails disappeared, fading into the darkness. His smile never disappeared, even as his friends did, who was left to fall on his knees, still reaching toward him, silent tears falling down his face._

"Don't forget me, 'kay?"

_His mouth opened slightly as his voice carried across the distance, and he nodded, closing his eyes tightly. _

"Goodbye...Sonic the Hedgehog..."

**-x-x-x-**

Lights continued to dance in front of his eyes, exploding into the dark sky into multi-colored beams of lightning. But with each explosion of light, pain exploded through him as well.

His eyelids felt like lead, and for several minutes, he struggled to lift them, to pry them open. And when he finally did manage to lift them to see, he wished he hadn't. The little bit of light that did meet his eyes sent more explosions of pain, and he groaned involuntarily, shutting them tightly.

His mind was a foggy mass of thoughts, groggy and damp, unreadable like a wet newspaper. For once, he was glad he couldn't remember anything. He didn't want to remember how he got this way, why he felt like he had been runover by a semi.

Slowly this time, he begin to lift his eyelids to look at his surroundings. As his sore eyes adjusted to the bright room around him, Sonic the Hedgehog immediatly recongized his house. He blinked several times, refusing to move, _afraid _to move. But after he braced himself for the pain, he begin to shift his weight around, and attempted to lift his arm. Immediatly, his muscles screamed in protest.

Okay, he hadn't braced enough...

He winced in pain, but continued to lift it, dropping it on his forehead. He sighed, refusing to go over the thoughts and memories that were being wrung of the fog and dampness. Not yet. He would face what he had done soon, but he wanted to be fully prepared first. So instead of focusing on his thoughts, he trained them into putting his body into a sitting position.

He accomplished the task, but with the consequnces of total pain. His arms hurt, his legs hurt, his stomach hurt...even his _fingernails_ hurt. Groaning, he held his head in his hands, gripping his throbbing temples in his fingers. Oh, and his head hurt.

Realizing all his thoughts were finally coming back, he sighed, and decided to sort through them, to try and remember what happened. He recalled awakening, recalled the feelings of horror and submission, recalled how he had given up...

And with a gasp of horror and shock did he remember what he had done...

He remembered falling - no, _jumping_ - off the edge of the mountain, remembered the cold, churning waves of the ocean waters, remembered the numbness that had settled over him, the thought he had _died_...

He clutched his arms as if he could still feel the icy coldness of the water, and shuddered, realizing what a horrible mistake he had made. Suicide. Of all things, he _attempted suicide_. The shock of what he done made him sick to his stomach, and he hunched over quickly, still shivering in horror.

How could he had done that? How could he have just thrown away everything? How could he have tried that, and leave Knuckles all alone? He realized again how horrible it was, how selfish he had been, and he choked out a sob. He would've been lucky if Tails had even _looked_ at him then...

He suddenly felt another pressence in the room, and he looked up quickly, his emerald eyes narrowed and shining with tears. There, standing at the entranceway to the hall was Knuckles, whose violet eyes were glaring at him, glinting. Green met purple, and for several minutes, neither moved nor spoke, and the entire time the eyes remained connected, Sonic felt worse with each passing second.

"Knuckles..." he choked out finally, his arms still wrapped around his body. The red echidna said nothing, and his eyes simply stared, not narrowing, not moving in the slightest. And the Sonic realized why the violet orbs were shining, but he said nothing, not wanting Knuckles to know he saw the unshed tears glistening in his eyes.

"I'm...I'm sorry..." he whispered to him, his teeth gritted together as he fought the tears. The red echidna finally blinked, and when the violet eyes reopened, they looked away, looking out the glass door to the cliff, the cliff which ended in a straight fall to the churning waters below. Sonic shivered.

"Knuc--"

"You scared me."

That blunt statement from Knuckles stopped Sonic cold, and he stared at his friend, shock etched in his blue face. Knuckles was still looking away, and Sonic said nothing, silently telling him to continue, that he would not say a word until he was finished. But at the same time begging him to stop, that he didn't want to hear anymore...

"You scared me," he repeated, and blinked once. "I...I thought you were dead..." Though his voice was steady, Sonic still saw the shining in his eyes, still saw the unshed tears glistening in the light. He still refused to look at the hedgehog. "How...What made you...Why...?" Sonic looked away as he finally heard his voice crack just slightly at the end, and held his head again in his hands.

Even though he could feel them, no more tears would come. So many had fallen, so many had escaped from him, it was like no more would be produced. So he simply sat there, looking at his shoes, and let the invisible tears free.

"Knuckles..." Sonic said finally, clutching the blue fur around his face in his fingers. "I'm so sorry...I...I was being selfish...I..."

Knuckles said nothing, and simply stared at the wall in front of him. Sonic waited for a response, for Sonic had lost his words, and could find no more.

"More...than you'll ever know..."

Those five words seemed to echo around Sonic, punching him with invisible fists, several minutes after Knuckles was gone.

**--End of Chapter--**

_Oh yeah. Emotional. Mwaha. I'm good with emotional chapters, yes? xD _

_Anyway, hope you enjoyed that, even though it _was_ late. I listened to _Numb _by Linkin Park, _Broken Heart _by Motion City Soundtrack (inspired to download by _**shadesoflightanddark**Hold On _by Good Charlotte (also inspired by _**shadesoflightanddark**_), and_ Arms Wide Open _by Creed. O.o Don't know why I used the last one. Huh...I think it probably has something to do with the mood of the song. Probably. _

_Review, everyone! 3_

**Aiko-Chan SoT**


	5. The Shattered Emeralds

_Another chappie! Fast update too. I felt bad for making you wait so long on the last one, so I got right to work after I posted that one up. I was going to put it on yesterday, September 1st, but we went on an unplanned trip. O.o Well, here it is anyway. XD_

_And my computer's being a butt, so I'll have to reply to your reviews by pm. _

_Enjoy this chapter!!!_

**--Salvation--**

**Chapter 5:**

**The Shattered Emeralds**

**--Salvation--**

_"...Hold on  
If you feel like letting go  
Hold on  
It gets better than you know  
Don't stop looking  
You're one step closer  
Don't stop searching  
It's not over  
Hold on..."_

- **Hold On by Good Charlotte**

That night, Sonic didn't sleep at all.

Eyes and limbs heavy, Sonic couldn't shut his eyes without seeing Knuckles face. Neither twisted in rage, or fallen with sadness, the only word that came to mind was disappointment. And the cold dread and disappointed voice, the way he spoke. Everything about Knuckles eariler made Sonic cringe in pain. The pride had been totally gone from Knuckles face and eyes.

Disappointment was probably one of the several emotions Knuckles had felt.

Sonic turned on his side, facing the couch this time. He hadn't spoke to Knuckles - or even _seen _him - since the earlier display. With a twitch of pain, Sonic wondered if his friend was avoiding him, either out of indiginity of his eariler display, or because of his disappointment toward him for his actions.

Sonic felt a wave of nausea.

He still had no idea why he had attempted to kill himself. Suicide...The word had hardly entered his mind once in his _life_. But he...he went and attempted it. Tried to drown himself, to end his pain, to see Tails again...But it hadn't crossed his mind once about Knuckles, only when he was in the water, floating away, when he saw the images of both his best friends.

Something stabbed him in the side, and he winched, shifting around a bit as the pain crashed over him like a wave. Oh, how selfish he had been...

_"More...than you'll ever know..."_

Knuckles words had chased him around the rest of the day, and he couldn't push them away. Maybe it was because he knew the words were true. Or maybe he was going insane, and the words were _really _following him. Right now, he wouldn't doubt anything at all. After all that had happened, there was no more room for doubts and questions.

It was a time for actions and answers.

**-x-x-x-**

Sonic was awake when Knuckles came silently through the hall just as dim sunlight was pouring through the windows, dimmed even further by the curtains covered them. Sonic had closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, pretending to sleep when Knuckles passed him in the living room. His shadow blocked out the rest of the sunlight for a few moments before he moved again, this time toward the glass door on the opposite side of the room. Sonic made sure to stay silent and motionless, and watch through a single opened eye, keeping his ears pricked high into the air until Knuckles turned around.

The red echidna was now standing at the door, looking out it with muscles relaxed and arms at his side. Sonic heard Knuckles emmit an almost silent sigh, and saw him shake his head. Sonic wondered what he was doing, why he was looking out the door the way he was. He heard muttering words from the read echina, and even his pricked ears couldn't pick them up. Frustrated at the low sound, Sonic resisted the urge to lean toward the red echidna, and instead stayed motionless, still pretending to be sleeping.

And then, Knuckles raised his voice, and Sonic could hear his words.

"I know you're awake, hedgehog."

The words weren't spoken humorously. They were spoken with seriousness nearly dripping off the words. Sonic felt a jolt of alarm at the sudden raise of the echidna's voice, but even more at his words. But it wasn't the words that he was alarmed at. It was the way they were said Something that would normally would've been a joke had been turned into a serious statement.

Sonic allowed himself to return to his normal breathing state, and opened both eyes, letting his body escape the complete relaxition it had been under. Knuckles still didn't face him, and was still looking out the glass door. Though Sonic couldn't even see his face, he knew he didn't want to. He was afraid of the disappointment, the anger, the sadness that may lay there, whether it be one of the three, or all three at once. He didn't want to see any of it. But he did keep his eyes on the back of the echidna's head, blinking slowly and saying nothing. There was silence for several moments, before Knuckles finally spoke again.

"We've still got alot of work to do. I mean, if we still want to find those emeralds and figure out the questions still unanswered."

Sonic nodded, knowing Knuckles couldn't see it, but still not saying anything. Of course he wanted to find those answered, those emeralds. But he felt so low around Knuckles now, knowing how he had hurt the echidna with his selfish actions. His throat was suddenly dry, and he swallowed, blinking again.

"Knuckles--"

"No, Sonic." The words cut Sonic off abrutly, and though he was slightly annoyed by the interruption, he said nothing, only let it show through his eyes. Knuckles then turned suddenly, and looked at the hedgehog with violet eyes. "Nothing you can say can change what happened. Just drop it."

Now anger flared in Sonic's belly and eyes. Whether his moodiness was from lack of sleep didn't matter. Knuckles still didn't have the right to say that to him. Immediatly, he stood, and the moment he rose, Knuckles straighted up, his violet eyes showing no emotions.

"You don't think I _know_ that?!" he said angerily back, his fists clenching. "You don't think I've realized what I did yet? Do you really think I'm that _insane_?" He scowled under his breath, and couldn't miss the small glimmer of surprise in Knuckles eyes. "I tried to _kill _myself, Knuckles! I know that! And I _know_ nothing can change it. _Nothing _can take back what happened! I _know_ I was selfish. I _know_ I was stupid, Knuckles! I _know that_!" He stopped, taking a deep breath and looking down at his shoes a moment before looking up slowly, calming himself down before looking Knuckles in the eyes and continuing. "I...I'm sorry..."

Silence.

Sonic and Knuckles both stared at one another, their eyes never shifting away from one another. Several minutes passed before Knuckles finally spoke.

"I know." Sonic watched the movement of his lips carefully, watching the words roll from them. Then, they smiled, and he drew his gaze back to his eyes. Knuckles shook his head, looking away. "But it still changes nothing but the fact I forgive you." Though Sonic knew he should feel realived, he didn't. The words drew a strange feeling of foreboding from him, and he resisted to shiver, to let the words affect him. Instead, Sonic nodded to him. Slowly the echinda nodded back, then looked toward the table, where the surface was still covered in their research.

"Well, let's continue."

**-x-x-x-**

To Sonic, it felt like forever since he had last picked up and looked at the mess of paper they had came up with. The first one he picked up was the one he found beneath the counter, the one with the words "_Metal lies the last piece of the puzzle" _scribbled at the bottom of it. He gritted his teeth together, so many questions swimming in his head making him feel dizzy. It made no _sense_. Silently, Sonic placed the paper back in on the mess of papers, and then sighed.

The future of this research looked bleak. So far, they had found nothing but those 8 little words that made a difference. And still, they were not a step closer than they had been two months ago. Taking a deep breath to keep himself from breaking apart, Sonic closed his eyes, and shook his head. How would they save Tails when they had no idea what they were doing?

"I figured out something last night." Knuckles voice broke through the barriers of his mind, and Sonic looked up at the red echidna, his green eyes hopeful and a flare of excitement catching fire in his chest.

"What?" he asked, standing a little straighter and blinking slowly.

Knuckles held up a single finger before he turned around and headed toward the hallway. Confused, Sonic watched as he disappeared into the bedroom silently, and no sound following afterwards. Not fully understanding, Sonic crossed his arms and shifted his weight, waiting for Knuckles return.

Something fell from the bedroom, and Sonic blinked, watching as Knuckles reamerged from the room, carrying two sheets of paper. Sonic uncrossed his arms, drapping them at his sides. He watched as Knuckles neared him, and held out the paper, stopping a few feet away. Still confused, Sonic took the paper, looking at it. His eyes drew up in surprise at the diagrams he saw. The first one was a drawing of three smaller emeralds, each shaped differently and a different color. The first one was like a regular emerald, colored an ocean blue. The second one was shaped like a diamond, and was colored red. The third one was the most different; it had no distinct shape. It looked as if it had been torn away from something else. The edges were jagged, while the others were smooth. It was a deep green color.

On the left side of the paper was the Master Emerald. But the side of the emerald looked as if part of it had been chipped away. Sonic followed the line that emerged from it, and saw it was pointed to the green jagged emerald. He could put two and two together. Obviously that part came from the Master Emerald...Sonic looked at the other two, but all that it had was question marks next to both of them.

"What are these?" Sonic asked, pointing to the three emeralds. He didn't lift his eyes from the paper, still studying the blue emerald, something tugging at his memory. The color and texture looked so familar...

"Those are the three Shattered Emeralds," he explain, moving closer to look at the sheet over Sonic's shoulder. The hedgehog listened as he thought, trying to remember where he saw the ocean blue emerald before. "They are pieces of larger, more powerful emeralds that were broken off when the power of the emeralds became too strong for anyone to control." Knuckles was quiet a moment, and then Sonic's eyes were forced to adjust to the new paper thrust in front of him. "I did some research last night. Here's the legend and what the stones are."

Sonic scanned the paper a moment before placing it behind the other and looking at the drawing again. "But where do those come from?" he asked, pointing at the blue and red stones.

"They are hidden," Knuckles said, stepping away from Sonic. The hedgehog looked up from the paper a moment. "Read the other one and you'll understand. But the green Shattered Emerald I found." The smirk was plain on Knuckles face as he continued. "It wasn't hidden very well. It was still on the Master Emerald." As he spoke, Knuckles was walking away into the other room, and Sonic's eyes followed him until he disappeared before they settled on the papers. He shuffled them, and looked at the one which explained everything. He began to read;

_Before the World even existed, there was the spirit Omega, the Spirit of the End. Omega was simply a pressence, nothing _

_more than air spinning through nothing. But Omega had amazing powers, even in his airy form.  
One day, Omega became quite bored with floating around. So, using his powers, he _

_created his body, which was in the form of a green fox. _

_Still, the spirit became bored, so he decided to create the World, and was happy with what he made. So being the fox_

_he was, he explored his created world._

_But again, Omega became bored and lonely, so with some more of his power, he created two other beings. One was_

_called Serine, who took the form of a beautiful blue fox. She became the Spirit of Time. The second one was called_

_Tydred, who took the form of a red fox. He became the Spirit of Change. _

_The three foxes met every day to talk, and one day, all three of them became bored. It was Serine who came up with_

_an idea. _

_"We should make more of us," she said. "But make them different too."_

_So all three spirits created more spirits, and then they more. Eventually, it came to where there were too many _

_spirits to keep up with. The three original spirits met on this matter._

_"A system," Tydred offered. "A system that controls the power of production of spirits. And the ones who were made later_

_can become something else." _

_The spirits agreed, and each made their own 'branch' of the system. Serine, the Spirit of Time, made a blue beautiful, rough_

_and shining stone which she called the Stone of Time. _

_Tydred, the Spirit of Change, made a red, smooth and shimmering stone, which he called the Stone of Change._

_Omega, the Spirit of the End and the spirit ruling over all, made a bright green and beautiful stone which he called_

_the Master Emerald._

_Then, after the emeralds were finished, they formed two kinds of life. Spirits and mortals. Mortals were taught the laws_

_that the spirits came up with, and the spirits watched over the mortals._

_The Master Emerald ruled over the other two emeralds, and they all three were powerful, though the Master Emerald was _

_the most powerful. Each three ruling spirits watched over their emeralds, making sure the power balanced out._

_But one day, the emeralds became unstable, and began to act for themselves. With their power, they began_

_to destroy the world that the spirits made. With their power, each spirit defeated their emerald by taking a simple_

_piece of their gem and breaking it apart._

_Deciding it was better for the emeralds to be broken, they kept the piece sealed off, and they were spread throughout the land._

_From then on, the emeralds balanced out the powers, and the spirits soon stopped guarding them, and instead_

_left a mortal to watch over them._

_Over time, the mortals forgot about the spirits, but the pieces of the gem that held so much power was never forgotten._

_The stones of Time, Change, and the Master Emerald would always be remembered by the mortals for many centuries._

Sonic reread the passage again, interested by the story, and hope flared strong in his chest. This was their chance. With this legend, they could bring Tails back from the dead, save him from his fate, and everything would be alright again. Sonic clutched the paper tightly.

"Here it is," Knuckles said, and Sonic turned to see him reemerge from the living room. Something green and shining was clutched in his left hand, and he held up the jagged piece of the Master Emerald. Sonic admired it's beauty, and felt a thrill of hope rush through him. They were so much closer to saving Tails...He reached out to take the stone, and when Knuckles handed it to him, he stroked the smooth stone, looking at it.

"So..." he said, handing it back to Knuckles. "Where are the other two?"

Knuckles shrugged, shaking his head. "I have no idea of the red one, but I recall reading something somewhere that a beautiful blue stone is in these ruins somewhere. I just don't know where..."

It was then that Sonic remembered suddenly where he had seen the blue stone. It hit him like running into a wall, and he even gasped in a breath as if he were in pain.

"The Tyetone Ruins!" Sonic nearly shouted, jerking his head up to look at Knuckles. He saw the stone in his minds eyes, shimmering and shining in the statue they were standing behind inside the ruins, as they debated whether they were going to be attack. Knuckles looked at Sonic in surprise. "That rubble! I remember staring at it!" Knuckles stared at him incrediously.

"Are you sure?" he asked, and Sonic nodded vigorously.

"It was there! I saw it! A shining blue stone! Shape just like that!" Sonic quickly switched papers and pointed to the blue stone. Knuckles blinked and looked pleased, crossing his arms.

"Great!" he said, grinning. Sonic, for the first time in forever, grinned back, and nodded. "We'll go tomorrow morning!" Sonic was about to protest that they had _plenty _of time, but the red echidna motioned out the window, and Sonic groaned when it was already nearing dusk.

"Fine." he grumbled as he walked into the living room, feeling Knuckles gaze on his back. "Tomorrow."

**-x-x-x-**

Sonic did sleep that night, but he stayed awake awhile, listening to the sound of his own breathing and hearing his heart beat. It was like he was hearing it for the first time since Tails died. He had never felt it hammering in his chest except when he was fearful or angry. It seemed to be gone except during those emotions, but right now he could feel it thumping against his ribs. He took a deep breath and sighed, enjoying the feeling of being alive.

He glanced over at the table at the picture he had taken down from the wall, of them sitting on the grass, and he smiled. When they got Tails back, they would take many more pictures. Though Sonic was confident and determined to get him back, pain remained. They didn't have him _now_, and that was painful enough. Sonic missed the sound of his voice, the way he laughed, the time they spent together. No tears gathered this time, only the pain that throbbed through his heart that felt like a cut.

He looked to the picture next to it, the one with simply Tails, a surprised look on his face. He was sitting in his workshop, his hand wrapped around a wrench and beside the Tornado. Sonic remembered taking the picture. Tails had been fixing the engine in the plane, and Sonic had walked in, saying Tails name loudly, startling the fox, who whipped around immediatly, and Sonic had snapped the picture. Sonic smiled sadly, nearly laughing aloud, and reached for the picture looking at it and shaking his head.

"Do you know what you're doing to me?" he said quietly, chuckling and clutching the picture frame a little harder. He sat it down after that, and sighed again, looking up at the ceiling and closing his eyes.

He could almost hear Tails laughing beside him.

**--End of Chapter--**

_Not too much an emotional chapter, except the last part. Had to add a little. The words Sonic said at the end, "do you know what you're doing to me", is a line from the _Hold On _lyrics by Good Charlotte. Just thought I'd add that. xD _

_Kinda cool how I went back to the last story, huh? I don't do that much. xD You can go read that part about the stone in the 3rd Chapter of Revenge. _

_Well, I listened to _Broken Heart _by Motion City Soundtrack, _Hold On _by Good Charlotte, and _Somebody Save Me_ by Remy Zero. _

_Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Also, I have a few oneshots coming up possibly before the next chapter of this. One is about the friendship of Sonic and Knuckles through Tails eyes (which is quiet short, sorry) and one is similar to _Perfect_, the new oneshot I wrote, which I encourage you to read cause it's good. But this one will have a _happy _ending. xD_

_Have any good songs you want me to make oneshots with, or want me to listen to to inspire me? Please tell me!_

_Review and have fun waiting for the next chapter! xP_

**Aiko-Chan SoT**


	6. Dreams

_Yay, new chapter! You have no idea how long I have waited to write this chapter. I have no idea how I got so wrapped up in this story. I decided to write that first chapter after sitting with my sister and playing one game with her (I think it was Sonic Riders...) and I decided to write her the story, because I kept rambling on about how Tails and Sonic used to be different. She wouldn't listen (go figure) so I wrote her that, and it blew her away (of course, this is coming from the opinion of a 10-year-old xD), so I decided to post it. Yeah, I was absorbed it in, but I was just going to keep it a oneshot, but then you guys...you guys inspired me to keep going._

_At first, I was hesitant; I hadn't watched or cared about Sonic in years. But after I started writing, I was suddenly no longer writing about Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, or Knuckles the Echidna. I was simply writing. Simply spilling out words that made a tragic adventure. And when I would read over the characters, when I would see the names, I would become puzzled. _

_Now, I enjoy and look forward to writing this chapters every week during school. I look forward to sitting at my computer on Saturday night and simply typing away. Strange how that works, isn't it? And I still keep getting more involved...More chapters, more oneshots, stories...I am really proud of where this has gone, and maybe, just maybe, you could see a plot just like this on the bookstores at Wal-Mart..._

_Anyway, enough rambling. Heres the next chapter! And I'll answer your reviews as soon as Hotmail starts working on my computer again... _

**--Salvation--**

**Chapter 6:**

Dreams

**--Salvation--**

_"Dreams are...illustrations from the book your soul  
is writing about you."  
__**- **_**Marsha Norman**

"Don't forget me, 'kay?"

_Unconsciously, he nodded, his vision blurred by tears as he desperatly tried to search out his best friends form in the darkness._

"Goodbye...Sonic the Hedgehog..."

_He opened his mouth, the words emptying out silently, his farewells lost in the darkness that surrounded him. Then the darkness around him seemed to jerk suddenly, and was suddenly consuming him, his mouth remaining open in a silent scream as he was lost under the depths..._

His green eyes flew open just after his sleeping form jerked up into a sitting position. Sweat dotted his forehead, and his breathing was quick and short gasps. His green eyes flew around the room, and when he recongized the familar walls of his home, he sighed wearily and fell back on the couch, forcing himself to calm down.

That dream was the same one Sonic the Hedgehog had after his suicide attempt. It was the same one, the same ending, the same person telling him to say goodbye...Tails...He blinked in the darkness, finally able to breath regularly, and sighed sharply when he felt the familar sting of pain that came with thinking his name. He reached for the spot on his chest that hurt the most.

Silently, Sonic stood, knowing very well he would not be able to sleep after that dream. But even though he struggled to push it away, he couldn't. Was Tails _really_ trying to tell him something? Was Tails's spirit really telling him to let him go? Just let him remain dead? The thought brung a fresh wave of pain and utter panic, nausea. He stopped, wincing, and quickly pushed that thought away, refusing to believe that's what his best friend wanted.

He continued walking, and headed into the bathroom, where he looked at his reflection in the mirror. What he saw shocked him. His blue fur, which had once been such a vibrant cobalt, was now a duller shade, so different than what it used to be. It stuck out everywhere, untidy and a wreck. His quills drooped more than before, the fur along them worse than the rest. His green eyes, which were once so bright with life, were now dull, and he stared back at himself with pure shock. After two months, this is what he had become.

Shaking off the shock, Sonic tore his eyes away from the mirror, instead looking down into the sink, where he ran water into his hands before splashing it on his face. The cold water sent a chill down his spine, and Sonic shivered gently, shaking it away and looking again. No differance, but what was he expecting? Scowling under his breath, Sonic turned away from the mirror and stalked out of the bathroom.

His first glance toward the window told him it was still late, for dawn hadn't broke yet. Turning to the clock on the wall, Sonic groaned. 3:14. Still awhile to go before Knuckles and him departed to find the emeralds...

For the first time in two months, Sonic felt a wave of excitement crash over him. Two emeralds lay out in the world, waiting to be found. And with them and the other seven, they could travel back in time to save Tails. The thought sent literal shocks up Sonic's spin, and his stomach flipped.

Tails would be coming home soon...

Sonic suddenly found himself restless, so he turned away from the clock and headed toward the table, where the papers of their research still lay scattered on the surface. Sighing, he quickly began to rearrange them, throwing away the ones they didn't need, and stacking up the ones that were important. When he finished, the desk was clean, and he grinned, his muscles protesting in response. He looked up at the clock. 3:54. He grimaced.

Turning back, he picked up the papers in the stack and took them to the couch, where he layed them down and sighed. He turned to the bedroom, and hesitated. Knuckles would probably be sleeping...He could get the bag later. But now what? he thought in frustration, crossing his arms and shifting his weight to his right leg. Now what, now what...

Before he could stop himself, his eyes were drawn to the photos on the wall, all of which he had avoided since Tails's death. He winced involuntarly, and studied them individually, eyeing each one for a small amount of time before moving onto the next. Each would awaken a memory that felt long forgotten, even though they were simply and purposely pushed away. He would smile at some, and cringe at others, his heart twisted painfully with each photo. But for the first time, he didn't cry. No tears forced their way into his eyes, none threatened to fall down his face. Maybe it was because he knew that Tails was coming home soon. Maybe it was because too many tears had been lost. Or maybe it was simply because he had learned to control his tears.

Whatever the reason, Sonic was grateful for the unforming tears, and watched each photo graph, watching the memories in his head like a silent movie, until he ran out of photos, and he was forced to look away. His eyes flew to the clock. 4:02. Man. He groaned under his breath and sighed, pretty much throwing himself on the couch.

His eyes closed as he leaned his head against the back of the couch. He wasn't sleepy at all - he was actually wide awake.

So it made it a mystery as to _why_ he fell asleep almost immediatly after his head touch the couch.

_The forest spread out around him, and in the distance, on the horizon, was the Tybelt Ruins. He was running toward them, his feet flying under him, and his heart racing quickly. The emerald lay in there. The piece of the Stone of Time lay inside. And nothing could stop him from getting it._

_But even as he ran, the ruins seemed to be getting farther away rather than closer. Puzzlement clouded his green eyes, so he ran faster, but still the ruins continued to get farther away. Frustration glittered in his eyes now, and he scowled, going as fast as he possibly could. _

_Then suddenly, the forest was gone. With a flash of blinding yellow light, he was no longer in the forest. He stopped, blinking, and looked around to see the Tybelt Ruins surrounding him. And on his left, multicolored flashing lights caught his attention, and he turned._

_His gasp was silently, either caught in his throat or soundless. The three pieces of the ancient stones lay in front of him, and his hand automaticly reached out to get them, to take them with him. As he got closer and closer, the emeralds grew brighter and brighter. His green eyes were bright and excited._

_It was over. His suffering was done._

_Tails would come back home...and his death would've never happened._

_He reached out his other hand now, reach to grab them and take them, to save his best friend. But a black shadow suddenly stood in front of him, just out of arms reach, and snapped his arms. The earshattering scream that accompanied the pain was silent, and the thud that would've echoed around them when his knees struck the ground was as well. The pain that shot up his arms was unbearable, but he forced his head up to look at the shadow, glaring. The shadow had no features, but he could still feel the evil eyes on him._

_He struggled against the pain in his arms, and stood strong, refusing to let himself go down without a fight. Those emeralds would be _his_, and no one elses._

_But the shadow didn't move, didn't try to attack again. But then it began shifting, morphing and changing, until red eyes stared at him. His emerald eyes widened, and he took a step back, suddenly fearful and shocked. He had _killed _him. He remembered..._

_But it wasn't the red eyes of the enemy he watched die that stepped from the shadows. Black fur instead of metalic blue formed. Black and red quills stuck out behind the figure, unlike the metal drooping ones. The figure glared at him with cold, emotionless red eyes instead of empty evil ones. At first, he thought he was staring at his dark copy, a exact clone of him, but with black fur._

_The other hedgehog smiled coldly, and once again, he found himself backing away, suddenly fearful. Those red eyes...so familar. With stunning speed, he whipped around and prepared himself to run, but stopped cold, his emerald eyes wide and his body frozen with fear._

_Now it _was_ metalic blue fur that appeared from the darkness. It _was_ metal drooping quills. _

_And those evil, empty red eyes..._

_Both figures stared at him, and he remained motionless, his heart thumping dangerously loud. _

_Then, they both smiled, and moved toward him with the exact same movement at the exact same time. _

_He still couldn't move. Their footsteps echoed around him, and he knew they were getting closer, knew that they were going to kill him. But he couldn't move._

_And then, he saw him._

_Orange fur stood out against the forest. Blue eyes glowed brightly at him, and his smile was directed at him. Two tails twitched in greeting._

_And the exact moment he appeared, both sets of red eyes flashed toward him._

_He snapped out of his paralysis, and his green eyes grew even wider. He knew what was going to happen, saw it play right before his eyes. But even as he screamed "Move!", there was no sound, and the metal blue hedgehog was no longer there, was slicing toward the air at neckbreaking speed toward the young kitsune standing at the forests edge._

_Again, his silent scream seemed to echo only in his mind, and before he could even move, blood sprayed the air around them. Blue eyes stared at him in horror, begging him to help as the metal quills dug into him. But it was too late. Already the blood was drenching everything. It was flooding the clearing with crimson liquid, and as he went under the river of blood, he screamed again, but as before no noise met his ears._

_He was surrounded by the blood, and struggled to get away, to escape it. But his arms hung at his side uselessly. His eyes flew open, searching for a way out. The clearing was gone. All that remained was him, the blood, and the two hedgehogs. The metal one glared at him cooly, expectantly, while the dark one simply watched, arms crossed. Then, as they had before, they simeontaniously took a step forward. He struggled again, desperate to get away, to find a way out._

_But the river of blood was washing him away, and his struggles grew weaker. He saw for the last time, the dark hedgehog sneering at him in disgust before his quills tore through the blood and then through him effortlessly._

His screamed pierced through his dream and into reality, and it was that which woke him. He jolted awake at his own voice, and leaped to his feet, clenching his hands into fists and staring at the wall, searching for the enemies that surrounded him in his dreams.

It was only when he realized he was awake that he relaxed, allowing his hands to unclench and rest at his sides. His dream played again before his eyes, and he shuddered, quickly wrapping his arms around himself. Who was that dark hedgehog? Could this dream mean that Sonic would have to fight through both his _and_ Metal before he could save his best friend?

He shook his head as if trying to convince himself, and narrowed his eyes. Determination sparked through him like a forest fire. No way. _No way _were either of them going to stop him and Knuckles from saving Tails. There was nothing and _no one_ that would stop him. As long as his heart keep beating, Sonic would never give up until he had those emeralds.

It was then Sonic heard Knuckles moving in the other room. His eyes flew to the clock. 6:14.

**--End of Chapter--**

_Pretty good chapter, if I do say so myself. And I must apologize on the spelling. I use Wordpad, for I do not have Microsoft Word, and I cannot spell to save my life. I can write a novel, but can't spell. Ironic, huh? So, I'm sorry, cause I know I spelled many words wrong, so I'm sorry. -grin-_

_Anyway, both dreams will come in handy in later chapters/stories. So I suggest you remember them. Got it? Good. :) -holds flamethrower- _

_Now, if you would be so kind as to review so I don't have to unless the fury of my flamethower on you? 3 I like flamethrowers..._

**Aiko-Chan SoT**


	7. Laser Tag

_Man, what a long week. I thought it would never end. It wasn't the best either...considering one of my best friends are on homebound and probably won't be back for several more weeks. I miss her! -sobs- _

_Also, here's a headsup. Don't be expecting an update next week. It's homecoming next week, and I am going to the dance. Yay me! But I'm only going with my friends, so don't go and congradulate me. xD Sorry. Not good enough for a boyfriend, as of yet. So don't expect an update, but I will update the next week, probably twice if possible._

_Also, I have some news. I opened a board that deals with this series! I was so proud of this story, that I decided to dedicate an invision free board to it. Please check it out and join! The url is in my profile._

_Well, thats all for now. Heres the next chapter! Won't be many more before the next book!_

**--Salvation--**

**Chapter 7:**

Laser Tag

**--Salvation--**

_"...Fuck this hurts, I won't lie  
Doesn't matter how hard I try  
Half the words don't mean a thing  
And I know that I won't be satisfied_

So why try ignoring him?  
Make it a dirt dance floor again  
Say your prayers and stomp it out  
When they bring that chorus in..."  
**- Bleed It Out by Linkin Park**

Knuckles came from the room moments later, and Sonic was waiting for him. The red echidna blinked at him slowly, his violet eyes watching him questioningly and accusingly. He stopped in the hallway in front of the hedgehog, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes.

"Did you not sleep _again_?" he grumbled, shaking his head.

Sonic grunted in response, nodding. "As a matter of fact, I did," he replied, narrowing his eyes as well. "I just woke up before you did." For a moment, the echidna simply looked at him, and Sonic looked right back. Then he gave a curt nod and let his arms fall to his side. Sonic grunted quietly to himself, smirking just slightly. He turned away and walked to the couch, where the papers were still stacked on the table. Knuckles followed him, eyeing the papers.

"I only grabbed the papers we need," he explain to the echidna, pointing to the papers. "The others that were unimportant, I threw out." Knuckles nodded, and without a word, turned and walked into the bedroom. Sonic watched him quietly, wondering what he was doing. Moments later, the echina returned, carrying a small knapsack that looked as if it had something in it. When Sonic cocked his head in confusion, Knuckles removed the bag from his shoulder and opened it. There were seven shining emeralds, glittering in the dawn sunlight pouring gently through the window. The Chaos Emeralds. The emeralds that he hadn't seen in almost an entire year. Knuckles took the papers in his hand and stuck them into the bag as well. As the emeralds shifted around, Sonic noticed an eighth one, and remembered the broken piece of the brillant Master Emerald. It glistened in the sun more vividly than the others, and when Knuckles shut the bag, Sonic could still see the emerald piece shining through.

Sonic stood up a second later, standing in front of Knuckles. The two stared at one another for a few moments before Knuckles grinned slightly.

"Ready to get those emeralds?" he asked quietly. Sonic didn't hesitate to nod, grinning back. His heart leaped in joy. They were one more step closer to saving Tails.

Knuckles turned to walk out the door, but Sonic didn't follow immediatly. Instead, he looked at the walls that held all the pictures. Like before, he eyed them all, remembering and savoring each memory. His heart thumped loudly in the empty room, the house that seemed so lifeless since Tails died. After a few moments of staring at the pictures, Sonic turned and followed Knuckles out the door.

**-x-x-x-**

The morning sunlight flickered through the trees that shifted in the light breeze. The trees surrounding the ruins ruslted and swayed in the gentle breeze which picked up some dust and threw it in the air. The rock towers of the ruins shifted none in the air, and remained at still as before. The air inside the ruins was silent, as if it were a tomb instead of lost ruins in the forest.

But then, suddenly, there came a quiet whirring sound. A sound that bounced and echoed off the walls in the ruins.

Then, in the darkness, two red eyes flashed on.

**-x-x-x-**

It wasn't long before they reached the Tyethone Ruins. Of course, at Sonic's speed, it's no surprise they made it there in a few seconds.

Sonic stood beside Knuckles, his green eyes fixed on the stone towers that stood before him. It felt like so long ago that he was here, fighting with all his might to avenge Tails. Seemed like so long ago he wasn't himself, wasn't Sonic the Hedgehog...but something else that destroyed his enemy in a matter of seconds.

And it seemed even longer that he watched Tails fall to his death here.

He cringed away from the memory, forcing his mind into the present. Here is where it all began, and here was where the ending would begin to fall into place. He grinned at the thought, of bringing Tails back, and keep this all from ever happening. He clenched his fists together.

"Ready, Knuckles?" he asked suddenly, whipping his head around to face the red echidna. Knuckles looked back at him, surprised at the sudden break of silence. But after a moment, he nodded, and Sonic watched as his muscles tensed, bracing for the upcoming 'adventure'. Sonic nodded, and grabbed Knuckles's arm, racing to the back of the ruins. The stone was still removed from the hole, and Sonic crawled in first, watching as the sunlight flickered away from view in the dark tunnel. He tried to remember the turns they took, and after a few impacts with the wall, the light was viewable at the end.

He pushed through the exit, quickly getting to his feet and observing the area. It was empty, save the crumbling walls. He braced himself for any attack from any kind of enemy, but when none came, he relaxed slightly. Knuckles got to his feet next to him, watching the area as well. Sonic scanned the falling walls, looking for the shining blue emerald. His dream immediatly came to mind, and in his minds eye, he saw the two somehow alike hedgehogs, one metal blue, one shadow black, inching toward him. He shook the dream away. It meant nothing. A simple dream.

Breaking him from his trance was a nudge on his arm from Knuckles. He snapped his head to him to see the red echidna pointing with a gloved finger to the far side of the room. There was a shining blue stone, glittering in the bit of sun pouring from the holes in the roof. Sonic eyed it, his heart thumping loudly in his chest. He was so much closer to seeing Tails again, so much closer to preventing this from happening.

He took a single step forward before Knuckles jerked him back beside him.

The force of the pull almost sent Sonic falling down, but he regained his balance and glared at Knuckles. Knuckles simply glared back, and before Sonic could speak, he pointed across the room.

"Don't. Be. Stu_pid_," he said, sighing. "Metal is still alive, remember? He could easily be over there, waiting for us to stumble in to get the gem." Sonic continued glaring, but couldn't find words to say. The echidna nodded as if he had proven a point and let go of Sonic. "Like before, we'll run under the walls. It won't take long, Sonic, and it's better safe than sorry." Sonic gritted his teeth, but nodded, fighting the urge to rush over and simply take the emerald alone.

It had always been this way. Sonic, the impatient actor.

Knuckles, the sensible planner.

And...Tails, the brillant mechanic.

Sonic shook away those thoughts that brung a bitter taste to his mouth, and followed Knuckles to the edge of the crumbling walls. Like the last time they were here, they sped through the open area, expecting a bomb of enemies to fall on them, but again, none did. The stood under the overhanging rock, listening and braced for action, but none came. Without speaking, they lined up again to run across. Their feet seemed to hardly touch the ground as they speed across the open area. Again, no attacks, no enemies, nothing.

There was only one more open space to cover before they got the emerald. Sonic grinned slightly. The feeling of smiling again was quiet strange. His muscles felt strained everytime he done it. It had been so long since he last smiled, since he last had hope, had faith. But now, it all flooded back, and he felt himself returning to normal, to his original cocky and stubborn attitude, without the 'invincible' part added.

Without a word once again, both Sonic and Knuckles shot out into the open area, their feet kicking up sand. The emerald inched closer and closer, and Sonic sped up slightly. The excitement, the hope to keep the horrific death of Tails from happening was pounding so hard in his mind, his heart. They were all like bass drums, pounding harder and harder. He was so much closer, so much closer...

And then, with a flash of red light, it was all over.

Not a single second after the flash of red light did Sonic feel pain score through his entire body. His body jerked forward, his legs losing footing beneath him as gravity took effect on him. The pain shot up and down his spine as his body crashed to the ground with a loud thud, rolling several feet before it came to a stop. His arms clutched at his stomach as if it could help stop the pain burning through him. He could hear Knuckles shouting nearby, but couldn't make out the words from the pain encasing him.

He forced his eyes opening, gritting his teeth and clutching his wound. He saw Knuckles standing nearby, his face etched in shock as he stared at, not Sonic, but something across the room. Sweat dotted Sonic's forehead, the pain shot through his stomach again, but he forced himself to drag his eyes into the shadows. For a moment, he saw nothing, but then two red eyes flashed to life, staring at the fallen hedgehog. At once, all Sonic's hopes faltered, fell and broken on the ground like glass.

Grinning in the shadows was Metal, and it looked like he wasn't going to let them have the gem.

He fought through the pain. He had no idea what had hit him, but it had hit him pretty hard. Clutching the wound, Sonic stumbled to his feet, one eye closed. Sweat fell from his forehead, and he gritted his teeth to keep from crying out. He wasn't sure if there was blood from the injury, but he wasn't about to look just yet. He only had eyes for Metal and nothing else.

His eyes flashed from Metal and the gem, and he knew that there was no way of getting out of here without a fight. He stood as straight as he could, glaring at Metal through the pain.

"You're...back for more...eh?" Sonic grunted, forcing the other eye open. The robot in the shadows whirred loudly, and his grin widened, a white light against the darkness. "I thought I...killed you for good..."

"Oh, Sonic," came the robotic voice of the robot, clear as day. He then stepped from the shadows, and his metal blue body shined in the sun. The rays also bounced off the laser he held in his metal hands. Sonic's eyes widened in surprise. "Haven't you learned yet? You cannot kill me." He aimed the laser gun at Sonic. "In the end, it is _you_ who will lose ultimately." Sonic eyed the gun nerviously, his mind spinning to find a way out. Knuckles growled nearby, and Sonic turned to look at the red echidna, who was gritting his teeth, looking at Metal with hate in his eyes. Sonic winced in pain as his wound burned again.

"You know, Metal? You're...one stubborn robot." Sonic's mind ran a mile a minute, desperate to find a way out. "Desperate to defeat me, but then wha--" A sudden flash of red and a loud zapping noise cut Sonic off, and once again he felt like his body was on fire. With a cry of pain, Sonic nearly collasped to his knees, but fought against it. He saw the robot's grin widen, and heard the whirring laughter from it.

"Tag, you're it."

Sonic forced a laughed, standing straight and ignoring the stabbing pain. He had to fight, had to win. This was for Tails, all of it was. He lifted his fist, glaring at Metal, his green eyes angry and determined.

"You..can't stop me, Metal," he said, spreading his legs to get ready to run. "You can't...beat me. I'm not doing this for me...You killed Tails, and I'm bringing him back." The laser shot again, but this time, Sonic was ready. He leaped into the air, feeling his wounds burn intensely, and speed through the air, landing right behind Metal. The robot turned around, but Sonic acted quicker. His foot flew through the air, striking the robot right in the stomach. Metal was sent flying into the wall, crying out when he struck.

Sonic quickly turned to Knuckles, who was racing to get the emerald. His eyes shot back to Metal, just to see his doppelganger get to his feet, aiming the laser at Knuckles. With neckbreaking speed, Sonic flew at Metal again, striking the robots arm just as the laser gun was shot, and sent the beam into the wall. He landed a kick to the robots face, who crumbled to the ground. Sonic smirked in triumph.

"Tag, _you're_ it."

Suddenly, Sonic heard rumbling around him, and when he looked up from the robot, he watched as the walls trembled and shuddered, the weakened stone weakened further by the laser beam. With a jolt of alarm, Sonic realized that the tower was going to collaspe...and soon. His smirk disappeared as he searched for Knuckles in the wreakage.

"Knuckles!" he shouted across the opening to the echidna, who was just clutching the stone in his hands. Knuckles turned to look at them, then at the crumbling walls, then back. "We have to get out of here, _now_!" Rocks fell from the ceiling, and Sonic lifted his foot to begin running. But he nearly fell when he found that Metal had clutched his leg, grinning madly.

"You're going to die here, Sonic," he said, chuckling. "I said that, and I meant it."

Sonic desperatly tried to shake the metal doppelgangers arm off, but the metal arms were like vicegrips. His frustration turned to panic as the rocks came down faster. His eyes flew to Knuckles, who was racing toward him, dodging and jumping over fallen rocks. Sonic shook his head, still struggling to get away from Metal.

"_Go _Knuckles!" he cried, waving his arms. "_Get out_! The towers about to fall!" But the echina, as if he hadn't heard Sonic words, kept coming, nearly getting killed every few seconds, narrowly dodging falling rocks. "I said, _get out_! _Now_!" He stomped on Metal's arm, pulled it, kicked it, everything, but the robot would not let go. Sonic wondered if this was really where it all would end, crushed by the falling walls of the Tyethone Ruins...

"Sonic, _move_!" he heard Knuckles scream, and looked up to see a huge rock falling toward the ground. Panicked, Sonic struggled again, pulling jerking clawing, anything, but again it didn't work. With one last glance at Knuckles, Sonic shut his eyes, gritted his teeth, and pulled his arms over his head.

So this _was_ how it would end...He would die, trying to save his best friend from his fate. He would die trying to bring his brother back. All his efforts had been futile. He was going to die anyway, but as least he could take Metal with him. At least when he was dead, the metal robot would be as well.

He waited for the crushing pain, for the rock to end everything.

But all he heard was the sound of crushing rock, but he felt no pain. Opening his eyes and removing his arms, he saw Knuckles with his fist high in the air, saw the tiny pebbles falling around them. Knuckles had once again saved Sonic's life. But still, the hedgehog couldn't help but wonder if it was useless, if they were going to die anyway.

With one last attempt, Sonic bent and tried to pry apart the fingers of the robot. Knuckles cried out, and his fists came down on the arm. Sparks crackled around the broken arm, and Sonic was free. The blue hedgehog grabbed Knuckles arm tightly, and, without looking back, bolted away, dodging rocks. He sped toward the main opening, hoping that it wasn't blocked yet. But the opening in the wall where the door was was blocked by the fallen rocks, and Sonic stopped, searching desperatly for a way out. His eyes fell on the roof that was falling in. Rocks fell from the ceiling, and Sonic rushed toward the wall, running up it's surface and leaping through an opening in the ceiling. His speed as he launched off the ruins sent him flying through the air.

And when he landed, he almost fell to his knees as pain scored through him.

He dropped Knuckles arm almost immediatly, and clutched his stomach, his eyes narrowing against the pain. Cringing, he turned around, looking at the shaking and crumbling ruins, and watched as the walls of stone came falling down. And within a few minutes, the Tyethone Ruins were destroyed.

Sonic and Knuckles stood there for awhile, Sonic trying to fight the pain stabbing him, Knuckles wondering how they got out alive. But the place where everything has started, where the nightmare began, was now a mountain of rock.

Sonic sighed as he looked down at the wounds stabbing through him. No surprise; blood stained around the wounds, but surprisely, there wasn't much. The pain felt too great for so little blood. Sonic winced as he looked away and at Knuckles.

"Thanks, bud'," he said, grinning slightly. Knuckles looked at him. "I'd been dead if you hadn't helped me." The red echidna just grunted, a small grin on his face. And with his violet eyes glinting triumphtly, he held up the blue emerald. Sonic smiled, giving him a thumbs up before he looked out in the forest.

"Now, only one more stone to find...and then it's off to the Master Emerald."

Sonic felt his heart leap. It's wouldn't be long now, and all of this - the pain of losing Tails, the horror - would all be a simply memory.

**--End of Chapter--**

_Eh. Fair chapter, I guess. Hope you enjoy it anyway. Thanks for reading, and please review. _

**Aiko-Chan SoT**


	8. Stumbling on a Discovery

_One weekend without writing, and I feel about ready to explode. I have been itching to start a new chapter for so long. _

_Well, homecoming was good. Didn't have a date (go figure) but I met up with some friends and we all danced together. Well, you know us girls. We have to dance _at least_ once even if we're alone. xD We had a good time. Especially when _Cha-Cha Slide _came on. I 3 that dance..._

_Well, I know some of you have been waiting for my new chapter. So here it is!_

**--Salvation--**

**Chapter 8:  
**Stumbling on a Discovery

**--Salvation--**

_"Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on somethings, perhaps when you are least  
expecting it."  
_**-Charles Franklin Kettering**

Sonic and Knuckles stood staring at the ruins of the towers. Metal was buried somewhere inside, and Sonic wondered if this time, the robot would not come back. A chill went up his spine. He doubted that. Something told him that the robot would always be after him, no matter how Sonic tried to kill him.

The sun was setting behind them, and night would soon fall over the ruins. Sonic's mind raced. Two emerald pieces were found, and only the final piece remained. His eyes flashed toward the bag of emeralds, holding 9 in all. The blue and green shards stood out against the other Chaos Emeralds, shining brightly through the fabric of the knapsack. He turned his eyes back to the ruins, watching them for a single moment longer, his thoughts resting on where the red shard could be hidden. Then, he turned around, facing the setting sun. Knuckles continued to watch the ruins, watching for any sign of Metal tearing through the rock.

The setting sun sent lines of crimson and dark violet rays through the sky. The clouds seemed to be split in half by the mixture of the wonderful colors twirling around them. The sunsets here were brillant, bright, and not hardly forgotten by anyone. Sonic watched the sun sink below the trees in th distance, watched as the colors spilting the air slowly faded into a midnight blue, until the sky was sparkling with stars. The entire time, all Sonic heard was silence.

Just as the stars began appearing overhead, Sonic turned around, his green eyes shining in the darkness landing on the still form of Knuckles, who was still staring at the ruins. His violet gaze was distant and thoughtful, but when Sonic moved slightly, they immediatly came into focus again, and the red echidna turned to face him. Knuckles still didn't speak, and Sonic crossed his arms, shifting his weight to his left leg. His wounds from the laser gun fired by Metal still burned slightly, but the bleeding had stopped long ago, leaving only two small cuts.

"Any ideas?" Sonic asked, blinking in the darkness. Knuckles took a moments paused after his words before he shook his head, crossing his own arms, and sighing.

"None," he said, shaking his head again. His violet eyes closed a moment before they reopened and glowed in the darkness, staring intently at Sonic. They were focused and thoughtful, concentrating. "But think. A shard of a red emerald...Where would they had put it?"

Sonic let his mind wander a moment, thinking of the diagram in the bag, of the paper with the words "_Metal lies the last piece of the puzzle_" written on it. But like Knuckles, he sighed, shaking his head.

"I have no idea..." he said, feeling suddenly hopeless. They were so close, _so close _to saving Tails, only a single gem shard away, and they had no idea where it was. But more than hopeless, he felt angry. He growled under his breath, bawling his hands into fists. "But we _have _to find it. It _has_ to be _somewhere_."

Knuckles said nothing, but Sonic saw him nod in the darkness. The hedgehog turned away, closing his eyes as his head began to pound. So many questions, and not enough answers. So many things to do, but not enough known to be able to do them. It was all so very stressful, and Sonic simply wanted to give up.

But then he saw Tails's smiling face, looking up at him from a faded photograph...

He opened his eyes, and knew he couldn't give up. The little fox had died just to save him. Now it was time for him to bring him back, or die trying.

He turned back to Knuckles, who was still staring at the sky, his eyes unfocused as he drifted in thought. Sonic blinked in the darkness, his green eyes glowing.

"We need to go back," he said simply, and Knuckles's eyes suddenly regained focus, and eyed the blue hedgehog. Confusion sparkled in their depths, but Sonic only blinked.

"And why?" Knuckles asked simply, uncrossing his arms and letting them hang at his sides. Sonic turned away from him, facing the forest.

"There may be more information. There may be something we're missing, something we're not getting." He paused, looking at Knuckles from over his shoulder. "We need to do more research before we look for the final shard, or else we might spend too much time searching." Knuckles said nothing, but nodded, and Sonic nodded as well. "Now, lets get going." He reached for the echidna, grabbing his arm, and in the blink of an eye, they disappeared from the clearing, racing through the forest, down the hill, and finally up the mountain to the house.

They stopped in front of the door, with Sonic releasing Knuckles's arm and walking up the steps. Knuckles was close behind him, watching the horizon as he walked slowly up the steps. Sonic walked through the door, not bothering to flick on the light, and walked to the back of the house, toward the bedroom and Tails's workshop. He stopped at the door, hesitating, staring at the wood seperating him from his bedroom. The familar pain of losing Tails was always throbbing inside him, but at certain moments, it would burst to live, beating and pounding painfully against his heart, jerking and pulling at it. And this was one of those moments. He winced in pain, remembering how the small kitsune would spend hours working in here, remembering how, sometimes, late at night, the two would simply talk from across the room, laughing at the stupidest things, remembering how, every night before he would go to sleep, Tails would sometimes beg for Sonic to tell him a story, any kind of story, and how at most of those times, he would grudgingly agree, and by the end of the story be laughing so hard he could hardly stand sitting up straight. All these memories brung bittersweet feelings to Sonic, and as he reached up to open the door, he gritted his teeth.

He wanted to be able to do all that again, to laugh and talk with his best friend.

With a blink of his emerald eyes, Sonic turned the doorknob and slowly opened the door. After a moments pause in the doorway, Sonic flicked the switch on the wall, bringing the lights on the ceiling to life. The room was just the way it had been two months ago, and Sonic cringed, stepping inside, heading toward the desk in the back where Tails usually did his research. It was also the same as it had been two months ago, just the way Tails had left it before he...Sonic swallowed, putting his hand on the wooden desk.

It was so amazing how hard life still was without him, even after two months...

After a few moments pause, Sonic began shifting the papers around on the desk, being careful to not mess them up. He scanned over them, and when they didn't prove useful to his quest, he stacked them into the corner, which was where almost all of them went. Only two papers remained on the table after a few minutes, and Sonic was beginning to feel less hopeful. And when those papers proved to be no help as the others ones had, Sonic threw his hands up, cursing under his breath. He brung his fist down on the table, and when he did so, the wood rattled beneath it, making a thudding noise against the ground, and something fell, making a louder thud against the ground. Startled, Sonic looked under the desk to see a plank of wood lying against the floor. His eyes narrowed in thought, and he bent down, reaching for it.

Sonic pulled the plank from under the desk, and examined it, finding no interesting qualities at all. He placed the plank on the ground and crawled under the desk, looking up toward the underside of it, and gasped at what he saw.

The bottom of the desk had a slightly large square hole in the dead center of it, about the same size as the wooden plank Sonic had pulled from underneath it. It was just right for his hand to fit through, and when Sonic reached into it, he immediatly, felt his fingers brush against something. His heart suddenly feeling ready to burst, Sonic grabbed the object with his fingers, and pulled it out. It was a piece of paper, folded neatly. Immediatly, he unfolded it, his heart pumping harder and faster in his chest. The words seemed to not come to his eyes fast enough, and when they did, he read them, there underneath the wooden desk.

"_Tornado Compartment 01 Code (Located under sign) : (Age)-(Age)-(Infinity)_"

His hope leaped into action again, and he quickly scrambled from under the desk, flying toward the Tornado. The paper was still clutched in his hands, and his emerald eyes were wild, focused only on the plane sitting in the corner. The wings were gathering dust, and it looked like an old plane that hadn't been used in years. But Sonic knew this plane was just as it had been two months ago; the best damn plane he had ever had, built by his best friend.

He examined the plane, looking for any kind of 'sign' Tails might've meant. And when he saw the emblem of the Tornado - two tails with S O N I C written in the middle - he ran his fingers along it, hardly able to breath. It felt hollow, like a sticker would over a hole, and Sonic clawed at it, desperate to pull it away. And his heart leaped into his throat when it _did_ pull away. It was simply a sticker, and Sonic swallowed hopefully, adrenaline pumping in his veins. There was a keypad against a metal door, with numbers and signs on it. Sonic stared at it, but his concentration was broken suddenly by Knuckles's voice.

"Sonic?"

"Knuckles!" he said, turnign around to watched the echidna as he entered the room. Knuckles blinked at him, and Sonic motioned him over. "Look what I found! Look at this!" Knuckles immediatly hurried over, his violet eyes scanning the compartment door, and he smiled, his violet eyes burning with hope.

"Well, what're you waiting for? Open it!" Sonic nodded, fiddling with the paper, and looked at it. "_(Age)-(Age)-(Infinity)_". What kind of a hint is that? Sonic wondered, trying to decipher what it meant.

"Ages," he muttered, thinking. He reached up and pushed in a 1 and then a 0. There was a click on the other side of the door as Sonic finished the kitsunes age. His heart leaped again, and he chuckled. "His age. It figures. I'll need to tell him to make a better combination." He thought some more, pondering on ages. He looked at his hands, wondering what other ages Tails could've put.

"Maybe your age?" Knuckles offered, and Sonic looked at him, then back at the keypad. Well, it was worth a shot. He pushed in 1 and 5, and there was another clicking inside the door. He looked back down at the paper, suddenly lightheaded from the excitement. "_(Infinity)_". He scanned the keypad, looking for the 'sideways 8' that Tails had tried to explain to him was the infinity sign. Sonic remembered as if it were only days ago that Tails was trying to tell him the 'sideways 8', as Sonic had called it, was actually the sign for infinity. He had become annoyed everytime Sonic said that instead of the 'actual term'.

He found it near the bottom, and pressed it, and at once, the door of the compartment slid open, and Sonic gasped in utter shock and surprise at what he saw. There, inside a small dark hole in the side of the _Tornado_ was a brillantly shining crimson jem, sparklin even though no sunlight reflected off of it.

The sight of the single remaining shard nearly made Sonic pass out.

This was what they had needed, what they had been searching for, and it had been in Tails's workshop the entire time. Sonic, his hands shaking, took the gem from the compartment, staring at it with shock etched across his face.

"Thats...theres...I can't..." Sonic could hardly hear the stutterings of Knuckles as his own eyes took in the gem. He only heard his voice rising above Knuckles's.

"We've found it!" he nearly shouted, tearing his gaze away from the jewel to look at the echidna. "This is...this is the Stone of Change...This is the final piece!"

Knuckles nodded, taking the small shard from Sonic, and gazing at it thoughtfully. "I can't believe we actually did it," he whispered, his eyes glittering. Sonic closed his eyes, letting the relief and happiness wash over him like a wave.

_We did it, Tails..._ he thought with a smile. _We're coming..._

But neither Knuckles nor Sonic noticed the single small sheet of paper remaining inside the compartment, the paper that had shared the space with the gem. It was forgotten in the darkened opening, and neither Sonic nor Knuckles ever saw it...

**--End of Chapter--**

_Meh, pretty good chapter, I guess. Can't wait for the ending. I already know what the last line in the last chapter of the final story will be. Mwaha. So there. ;) And it's already almost time to head on to the final story. Strange, eh? Amazing how fast it takes to write a story when you love to do it, huh? Well, about another chapter or two, and the final book will be out in a few weeks._

_Well, review everyone! I may have a chance to update tomorrow!_

**Aiko-Chan SoT**


	9. Reality

_This will be the last chapter to _SalvationForgiveness_ will be out in a couple weeks. Give me a break from writing. Shesh. lol xD LEAVE ME ALONEEEE!_

_Well, I've had even more fun writing this story. It was a little more emotional than the first, and I can promise you, the next and final book in the series will be even more emotional, but it will also be more quickly paced, and have more fighting, I promise you that. xD_

_Bringing in Shadow is still in the works, but I may possibly put him in as a time traveler whose trying to get back to save Maria. They may meet him or something and something. Not really sure how that will work out. xD But he'll be in there, but I hate to say he may play a different role than in the games, such as the keeper of time or something...who tries to stop Sonic and Knuckles from saving Tails. Like I said, still in the works. _

_Well, I hope you enjoyed Book 2 of the _To Say Goodbye _series, because I sure enjoyed writing it up:) Here's the final chapter! _

_A special thanks to all my loyal, faithful, and all-around wonderful reviewers. This chapter is dedicated to you!_

**--Salvation--**

**Chapter 9:  
**Reality

**--Salvation--**

_"...Somebody shake me cause I,  
I must be sleeping_

Now that we're here  
It's so far away  
All the struggle we thought was in vain  
And all the mistakes  
One life can take  
They all finally start to go away..."  
** So Far Away by Staind**

Sonic stared down at the red jewel in his hands, still hardly believeing that they had found it.

Darkness had fallen hours before, and Knuckles had went on to sleep. But Sonic was unable to sleep, for every time he closed his eyes he wondered if it was true. Wondered if they had really found the final jewel or if it had just been a mistake. In the darkness of the living room, the jewel still shone with breathtaking beauty, and Sonic saw his own green eyes sparkling at him from the glass.

This was the best he had felt since he watched Tails be killed. The hope and determination, the happiness and absolutism was astounding, the most amazing feeling. Knowing that they had the pieces they needed to bring Tails back...the thrill that jumpstarted Sonic's heart was almost too much to bear. It was almost like a dream come true, and Sonic wondered many times if it really _was_ a dream. He didn't think he would be able to handle waking up and finding the Stone of Change gone.

He ran his finger over the cool stone, thinking of what would happen. Tomorrow morning he and Knuckles would go to Angel Island with all 10 stones. He didn't know what would happen from there. How would those stone send them back in time? He didn't understand, but it didn't matter, because it was going to happen. He was sure of it.

He looked at the clock ticking on the wall. It was 1:30am. He cringe, still turning the stone around in his hand. It would be awhile before they could leave. He was used to sleepless nights, always waiting for the day, but tonight felt different. Sonic was restless tonight, and though he wished to sleep, to be prepared for tomorrow, something kept him from sleeping. He felt his old longing to go out and run until he couldn't run anymore. With a glance at the bedroom hallway, Sonic placed the red jewel on the table and stood, walking toward the door.

He stuck his head outside the glass door, taking a deeo breath of the night air. The moon shone bright and full overhead, and as Sonic stepped outside, his shadow stretched far ahead of him. He walked to the edge of the cliff, looking at the horizon and down at the water. It lapped gently against the rock wall, and seemed peaceful. He nudged a small rock off the side, and watched as it clattered to the waters below, where it disappeared in a series of ripples. The wind from the ocean blew against Sonic, cool and soft, and he closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of the air on his skin.

He stayed that way for several mintues, arms crossed and eyes closed, letting the ocean breeze blow over him as he thought of the following day.

It wasn't much longer than his ear shot up.

Someone was nearby, somewhere behind him.

He remained motionless, listening without any sort of movement. His ear jerked back and forth as small noises met them, and he finally opened his eyes, whipping around Sonic quick.

"Who's there?" he demanded, his ears still twitching. And almost immediatly following his words a figure appeared in the shadows of the house. Sonic tensed, spreading his legs and lifting his arms into a fighting position. "I said, whose there?!"

There was still no answer, and Sonic squinted in the darkness, trying to distinguish the figure against the shadows. He saw an outline of someone, but could not tell who or what it was. He simply waited and watched for anything at all.

And then, two eyes opened in the shadows, eyes colored crimson red.

Immediatly, Sonic stifened, his mind locking into panic mode. Those red eyes...had Metal returned again to seek his revenge once more on Sonic? His mind raced, wondering what move he could make to escape the robots attacks, fearful that maybe he wouldn't be there to save Tails after all...

"Who are you?!" he shouted again, clenching his fists together. He wasn't expecting an answer from the mysterious person, and when he got one, he nearly dropped his guard in surprise.

"Beware," said the red-eyed figure, and Sonic immediatly knew it was not Metal. The voice was too lifelike, not mechanic like Metals. But Sonic still kept his guard up, not willing to take any chances.

"What are you talking about?" Sonic said, narrowing his eyes. "Beware of what? And who are you?"

"Beware..." came the voice again, and still the figure did not move. "You know nothing of the power you hold with the 10 emeralds."

"What are you talking about?" Sonic repeated, but he couldn't help the flip his stomach took at the figures words. "What about the emeralds? What power should I beware of?"

"All is not as it appears to be, Hedgehog." The voice went a notch lower, as if warning Sonic. Sonic felt the quills bristle at the words. "The emeralds are not on your side. Just remember that when you use them."

"You know, those riddles are really beginning to annoy me," Sonic growled in frustration. "Show yourself, damn it, or I'll rip through you like paper!"

This time, there was no reply from the figure, and Sonic watched in surprise as the shadow began to disappear, until all that was left was the dull crimson eyes.

"Hey! What are you doing?! Come back here!" But it was too late. After a second, the eyes disappeared as well, and Sonic was left standing alone on the cliff, the words of the unknown person running through his mind.

What did the figure mean? 'The emeralds are not on your side'... What was that supposed to mean? Sonic glanced through the glass door, eyeing the red emerald shard glimmering with it's own light. The words left a heavy feeling of forboding deep in Sonic's stomach. What could the figure have possibly meant? Was there something they hadn't added up right about the emeralds?

A chill crept down Sonic's spine.

With a shove of the thoughts to the back of his mind, Sonic turned around and walked toward the door with slow steps. His eyes were trained on the glowing emerald, but he refused to ponder on the stranger's words, however forboding they were.

All Sonic was sure of was Tails would be home tomorrow.

With a tired sigh, Sonic slumped down on the couch, laying his head on the armrest and closed his eyes.

**-x-x-x-**

It wasn't long before Sonic felt arms shaking him.

He opened his emerald eyes with a start, for some reason expecting a shadow with red eyes to be looming over him, shaking him awake so he could warn him more of the emeralds. But instead, he saw the red fur of Knuckles, shaking him with an annoyed expression on his face. Sonic blinked at him a moment before sitting up and yawning, rubbing his eyes.

"About time," Knuckles growled, annoyed. Sonic opened his eyes and looked at the echidna, cocking an eyebrow.

"What, you've been trying to wake me up for awhile?" Sonic asked, glancing at the clock. 7:40am.

"Yes! Since 7!" Knuckles gritted his teeth. "What was wrong with you? You were saying something about the 'power of the emeralds' in your sleep."

The exchange with the red-eyed shadow last night came flooding back, and he grimaced. "Yeah?" he said, trying to come up with an excuse.

"Yes," Knuckles replied, his violet eyes narrowing cautiously. "Why was this?"

Sonic narrowed his emerald eyes as he stood, looking outside. "Someone was out there last night," he admitted, blinking in the harsh morning sunlight. Knuckles was quiet, so Sonic continued. "He told me that the emeralds were more powerful than we thought, and that they weren't on out side." Silence reigned for several moments before Knuckles sighed.

"That can't be true," Knuckles said, and Sonic looked over his shoulder to see the echina shaking his head. "We've worked out every detail, wrote down everything, didn't skip a thing!"

"But that doesn't mean we know the true power," Sonic said, blinking as he looked away from Knuckles. "We don't know all they're capable of."

"Maybe we should--"

"No." Sonic said, not letting Knuckles finished. He turned around, facing the echidna. "We're too far to stop and retrack now." He looked out the window. "If we're going to prevent it from happening, we need to do it now." Knuckles was silent, and Sonic closed his eyes a moment, thinking.

It was true. They were too far ahead to backtrack. And who knows? Maybe they would be relying on something that wasn't true, just something to spook them out of going and changing the past. It was now or never.

And Sonic was willing to pay any sacrific to have his little brother back.

He opened his eyes again, and looked at Knuckles. "Are we going, or are we not?" It was a simple question, but a question that could be horrific if answered wrongly. For a moment, Knuckles said nothing. But then he lifted his head, and violet eyes met emerald ones.

"Let's go."

With a single nod, Sonic picked up the bag in the corner, while Knuckles picked up the red jewel still sitting on the table. He placed the Stone of Change into the bag with the rest, and immediatly, there was a change. The bag began to shine brightly, the colors of the emeralds distingushed perfectly through the fabric of the bag, and Sonic and Knuckles watched in awe as it got brighter. The emeralds glowed with their own light now, shining with breathtaking brightness.

Sonic pulled his eyes away, and looked outside the door. Placing the bag on his shoulders, the hedgehog exited the house with Knuckles at his heels. As he started down the hillside, Sonic looked back at his house, and wondered if he would ever see it again. He blinked his emerald eyes, knowing he was fully set on his discussion. It was either keep Tails death from happening, or not come back at all.

With a sigh, Sonic turned away from the house, following Knuckles down the hillside as they made their way to Angel Island.

**-x-x-x-**

The cave was dark, and Sonic had to rely on touch rather than sight to find his way through. He knew the way to Angel Island by heart, but the darkness always slowed him down.

He nearly colided with the wall numerous times, and when his foot would slam against it a moment before his body would have, the darkness would be filled with a string of curse words, and sometimes, Sonic could swear he heard Knuckles chuckling at him from somewhere close ahead.

It wasn't long before the cave opened up, and Sonic was out of the darkness.

Angel Island floated in the sky, a mile away from land, connected to it by only a bridge built thousands of years ago by Knuckles ancestors. Sonic could see it clearly on the horizon, and the green Master Emerald was glowing brightly in the direct middle of the shrine on the island. He admired the way the stone glowed with such intensity for a moment before he followed Knuckles down the hillside.

The journey was silent, neither speaking as the hope in their chest grew. On the bridge, Sonic though his head was going to explode. They were literally a mile away from the end of their journey, from bringing Tails back.

It was like a dream come true to Sonic.

The two made their way across the wooden bridge, silence reigning over them. To Sonic, it felt like forever before the ground on the floating Angel Island was a step away. Sonic looked up at the glowing Master Emerald, seated on the magnificent shrine, and his mouth went dry. He followed Knuckles slowly up the steps of the shrine, and as the two got closer, the more the emerald brightened.

Sonic could feel the emeralds in his bag reacting to the power of the Master Emerald. They were trembling in the bag, and Sonic knew they were growing brighter and brighter, just as the Master Emerald was.

It was then he knew this was all true.

He really had the stones he needed to save Tails. They were real, and would really take him back in time. This was no dream, no fantasy.

It was reality, and for once, Sonic enjoyed it.

They finally made it to the top, and without a word, Sonic removed the bag from his shoulders, handing it to Knuckles who emptied the emeralds onto the ground. There was an immediate reaction. The emeralds immediatly rose into the air, and made a circle around the Master Emerald. They revolved around the huge emerald slowly, and for a moment, both Sonic and Knuckles watched them, Sonic hardly able to believe it was happening.

But there is always a time when good reality is broken.

A horrible scrapping noise came from close by, and both Sonic and Knuckles jumped, whipping around to face the noise, which came from the bridge connected the lands. Both gasped at what they saw, and Sonic suddenly wished it _was_ all just a dream, instead of horrible reality.

There, standing in the middle of the bridge, was the shining blue body of Metal Sonic.

A string of emotions hit Sonic. Annoyance was one; the robot just wouldn't die. Denial; he killed him _twice_. Horror; he would defiently stop them. But what stood out most was anger. Here was the creature that had cause all of this to happen, cause the reason they were there that day, attempting to keep the past from happening.

"Knuckles, do what you have to do to get us back in time!" he said, looking at the echidna. "I'll handle _him_." His blood boiled as he stared at Metal Sonic, who was grinning at him. And for the first time, Sonic noticed something that had never been on the robot before.

Scratches. Dents.

Robot injuries...

Being buried underneath the ruins must've done this, and Sonic couldn't help but wonder why that was all that could harm the metal robot. And yet, he was buried under mounds of rock, and here he stood, not three days later, grinning at him.

"Well, look who it is," Sonic sneered, venom dripping in his voice.

"I told you, hedgehog," the robotic voice annonced. "You cannot kill me." He paused a moment, his red eyes flickering to Knuckles behind him. "And I cannot let you change what's happened."

"And I cannot let you stop me," Sonic said, growling. He spread his legs, lifting his fists. His teeth ground together, and he watched Metal with emerald eyes filled with the intense determination to finish what they started. Metal laughed softly, shaking his head with a soft whirr.

"Foolish hedgehog," he said, stepping forward with the same whirring noise. "You just don't realize how powerful I truely am."

At this, Sonic smirked. "Oh yeah? Why don't you enlighten me?"

With this, Metal's grin disappeared, and he flew at Sonic.

Sonic reacted quickly, determined not to lose this time. Light on his feet, he darted out of the way, leaping into the air over Metal. With neckbreaking speed, he landed a blow right on top of Metal's head, sending the robot into the ground with a loud grunt. Sonic landed on his feet, still smirking from before.

"Is _that_ how powerful you really are?" he mocked as Metal picked himself up off the ground.

"Fool," whirred the robot, standing and glaring at Sonic through red eyes. "You'll pay for that."

Again, he shot toward Sonic, and Sonic repeated the same manuver, leaping over Metal's head. But he wasn't prepared when the robot leaped up as well, latching his arm over his leg. Before Sonic could realize his mistake, Metal sent him sprawling toward the ground. He struggled to land on his feet, but instead he landed hard on his back, sending spasms of pain through his body. Refusing to give up, Sonic quickly got to his feet, hoping that Knuckles would be ready soon.

Metal hovered over the ground, chuckling at Sonic. Sonic narrowed his emerald eyes, ignoring the stinging pain in his back.

"Time to finish this," Metal said, and once again flew at Sonic. With fast feet, Sonic quickly darted away, running the opposite direction of Metal as he did so. He glanced at the Master Emerald, and gasped when he saw the 10 emeralds spinning around the larger emerald so quickly a beam of multicolored light surrounded it like a halo. It was just like the diagram Tails had drawn.

Sonic leaped over Metal as he charged at him again, and quickly rushed to Knuckles, who was sweating profusely, his arms raised and teeth gritted as if he were carrying a large weight. Sonic had no time to say anything before Metal shot out at him again, throwing him to the ground. Sonic, cursing under his breath, fought with the robot, and the two rolled on the ground, throwing punched and kicks at one another.

Sonic wasn't aware that the edge of the island was close, so went he felt nothing but air under him, he panicked, eyes flying wide. This couldn't be it. He couldn't plunge to his death falling off the floating island. He felt himself falling, and quickly grabbed for something, anything, and his hand wrapped around nothing by the rocks on the edge of the cliff. Heart racing, Sonic looked down, fear gripping him as the abyss was layed out beneath him. A shadow blocked the sunlight, and Sonic looked up to see Metal hovering over him, red eyes so dangerously close to his own. He was grinning, victory sparking off him like fire.

"This is it, Sonic," the robot chuckled. Sonic gritted his teeth, still struggling to keep his hold on the rocks. Beads of sweat rolled down his face as his mind raced, trying to find a way out of this mess. He couldn't die. Not yet. Not yet.

His thoughts as well as his breathing was cut off as Metal lashed out at him, clutching his throat in an iron grip, lifting him up. Sonic's eyes were wide with fear as he desperatly tired to breath. His hands wrapped around Metals, trying and failing to pry the metal hands away from his throat. He saw Knuckles near the Master Emerald, his violet eyes frantic with panic and fear, but still pressing against some unseen force, struggling with it, unable to help. Sonic closed his eyes, gritting his teeth and fighting, kicking, doing anything he could.

But Metal's grip never loosened.

After mere seconds of panic, Sonic's struggles slowed, weakened, and his vision was dotted with black spots, his lungs burning. Metal grinned at him, red evil eyes searching his own.

"How does it feel, Sonic?" he asked him, and his grip tightened. Sonic's hands were instinctly wrapped around Metal's, though there was no hope in prying them apart. "How does it feel, the life draining out of you wih each passing second?" He chuckled darkly, pulling Sonic closer to his face. "I want to see the life drain from your eyes. I want to see them darken as you die." Already, the lack of oxygen was making Sonic feel dizzy, and Angel Island spun in circles around him until he closed his eyes, desperate to get away from it. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this."

And then the robot was silent, watching Sonic. Sonic could feel the life slipping away, like sand through his fingers, and he wondered how much longer he could continue without the air, with the horrible pain burning in his lungs and throat. His hands claws effortlessly at Metal's hands, but all in vain.

And just as spiders were crawling over Sonic's vision, just when the hedgehog had decided it was over, something smashed into Metal, sending tremors through his body before throwing him to the side.

Almost immediatly after he was released, air filled Sonic's lungs, and as he flew through the air, he choked on it before landing on the ground with a thud. His vision was fuzzy, his mind light. Pain sparked through his lungs and throat, and he just wanted to sit there and fall asleep, let the air fill his lungs over and over.

But he couldn't, and he knew that.

Forcing himself to recover quickly, Sonic struggled to his feet, aware that the entire island was glowing and shaking. He saw Knuckles wrestling with Metal near the edge of the island, saw the emeralds spinning around the Master Emerald.

"I command you, Master Emerald!" Sonic heard Knuckles voice ring out, harsh and loud, but clear even as he threw and dodged punches from Metal. "Take us back to the time before Tails's death! Do it now!"

A whirring sound filled the area around them, and Sonic watched as everything flashed to white. The Master Emerald glowed yellow, and Sonic could see the portal through time rising from the emerald. With an angry cry, Sonic ran to Knuckles, grabbing the red echidna by the arm, and jerking him toward the yellow bright Master Emerald. Just as he leaped into the portal, he saw the 10 emeralds shatter, the pieces hurdling to the ground. He felt something jerking him from all sides, threatening to break him apart the moment he entered. And then, Sonic and Knuckles were surrounded by nothing at all.

The white surrounding Sonic, spinning and jumping around him, flashed to black, and Sonic felt himself falling toward unconsciousness.

**--End of Story--**

_Yep, the next book will be up soon! I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I wonder how many people can guess who the mysterious shadowy figure was...COOKIES FOR WHOEVER CAN!! MWAHAHA!_

_Well, _Forgiveness_ will be up before the month is up, but for now I want to take a small break on typing. Thanks to all my loyal reviewers and readers, and I hope you'll stay loyal during the next and final book of the _To Say Goodbye _series._

_Kudos!_

Aiko-Chan SoT


	10. Extra: Preview of Book 4

_**Coming to Fanfiction  
To Say Goodbye: Book 3  
**Forgiveness_

_**Fiction Rating: **T for Teen  
**Genre: **Tragedy/Friendship  
**Written By: **Aiko-Chan SoT  
**Warnings: **Rated for Violence, Character's death, Profanity_

**_Preview:_**

_He looked up from the ground and at the newcomer, his eyes narrowed suspiciously._

_"What? You're saying it won't work?" he asked, anger ringing faintly in his voice. "You're saying, no matter what, the past will stay the same? That we can do nothing to change it?"_

_The newcomer blinked at him, his red eyes cool and emotionless as he turned away.  
_

_"Decipher it however you like," he said, his voice carrying the same cool and emotionless tone as his eyes. "You overestimate what you can do by attempting to change the future." He looked over his shoulder at the hedgehog. "There was a reason those stones were shattered. A reason." He closed his eyes as he looked away, walking away from the hedgehog. "But do what you want. I won't stop you. I only step in if things get out of hand." _

_And with that, he was gone._

**_-x-x-x-_**

_This is it. All of the suffering, of the struggles and searching leads to this._

_In a flash of white light, Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna find themselves hurdling through Time, back to before the murder of Tails. They think the end is close, that all their struggles and suffering would finally be paid off._

_But always, always there is something in the shadows waiting to strike, and this time, Sonic and Knuckles find themselves in more trouble than they ever thought they'd be in. Secrets and surprising information leave the two on the brink of war with each other, as they struggle to distinguish truth and false. And when the last person they hoped to see steps in again, this time with help, the two find themselves struggling to save what Time had stripped from them._

_Now, it's a race against Time itself, and not only does the life of Tails hang in the balance, but the lives of Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna as well. This is a race that they cannot afford to lose. And this time, it'll take more than Sonic's speed alone to win this race. Times is valuble, evil is close. And in the midst of it all, Sonic learns that the strongest friendship can survive even the passing of Time itself._

_Will Sonic and Knuckles be able to keep the horrible fate of Tails from happening, or will history repeat itself? Read to find out!_

_**Coming to Fanfiction  
**October 28th, 2007_


End file.
